Reversed Reality
by Shattered Existence
Summary: What if it were Tamahome who lived in our time and discovered the Universe of the Four Gods? What if Miaka were a celestial warrior destined to protect him? More summary inside.
1. Default Chapter

**Reversed Reality  
**

Disclaimer: I do not own Fushigi Yugi or any of it's characters although I wouldn't mind owning Tamahome...

Summary: What if Tamahome were the one who lived in our time? What if he were the one who opened the Universe of the Four Gods? And what if Miaka were a celestial warrior destined to protect him?

I hadn't seen any fics doing this story from this angle so I decided to give it a shot, so tell me what you think... R&R.

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**Chapter One**

"Wow! I don't believe it! Look at all this money just lying around!" Tamahome's eyes grew wide as he took in the piles of cold coins that littered the floor.

"Huh? What the hell?" The boy desperately grabbed at the coins that were quickly fading away.

"Gimme back my coins!" He shouted, his hands clenched into fists.

"Uhh, Tamahome, that was the teacher…" Tamahome looked down to see his teacher flat on the floor. He looked up at the desk clutched in his hands and laughed nervously setting the desk back down and slumping back into it.

"Whoops. It, uh, it was a dream."

"Wow, I got in a lot of trouble for that one."

"Well, did you think you wouldn't? We have exams coming and you're off daydreaming in class."

Tamahome looked over at his friend, Yui. They had been friends ever since they were little, and they still were. People always said they'd make a great couple but Tamahome always laughed it off; he could never imagine thinking of Yui as anything more than a friend, his best friend at that.

He glanced over at the girl. "Yeah, that's true. He let's grab something to eat." Tamahome dragged Yui into the McDonalds that on the corner of the street.

"Hey look! There's Take and Konan, let's go sit with them."

Yui and Tamahome walked over to their friends and sat down, "Hey guys, what's up?" Yui said casually.

They were greeted with a warm, 'hey'. "So what high school are you trying to get into?" Konan asked.

Tamahome pointed to a group of four; three guys and a girl. "See that uniform? That's the high school I want to get into."

"But that's the Jonan High School uniform! There like the top school in the city!" Take said astonished.

"Yeah, and your G.P.A. doesn't exactly come in at top quality for that school." Konan added.

Tamahome made a mock sad face. "I could too get into Jonan, if I wanted to. Oh, by the way; Yui, I need to borrow your notes from the part of today's lesson that I slept through."

Everyone pulled an anime fall. "If you keep sleeping through class then how do expect top even make it through the rest of our school now, let alone get into a school like Jonan?" Yui asked the boy.

Tamahome ignored his friends comment and quickly got up, "Okay, I gotta go to cram school, I'll se you guys later!" he yelled as she dashed out to door.

"So that was an interesting dream you had in class today. What could have possible made you hit out teacher upside the head with a desk?" Yui asked as she flipped through the pages of a book in library.

Tamahome shook his head, "Don't ask. I've been up late studying for the exams lately."

Yui sighed and shook her head, "Yeah, well you better take it easy or you'll end up killing our teacher next time. Tamahome just grinned widely and turned back to the book, accidentally knocking his pen off the table.

"Damn it." he sighed as he got up to go retrieve the pen that had rolled down the isle behind him.

Picking it up he glanced over at the sign on the door at the end between the two shelves of books.

**Do Not Enter. Restricted Private Library** were the words scrawled across the sign.

"Tamahome come on, let's go. Cram school's gonna start soon-hey, what's this room?" Yui said as she came up behind him.

As they walked into the room a loud rumble caused the ground to shake, the events earning a small "eeee!" from the two friends.

"What the hell was that? An earthquake?" Tamahome said as he glanced warily around the small restricted room.

A sudden 'thwump' caught his attention, and he turned around to see a book fallen off the shelf.

"These look like the valuable books in the library…we could make a fortune off these!" Tamahome said excited darting back and forth and looking at all the different books.

"Hey, Tamahome, come check this out." Tamahome walked over to Yui.

"The Universe of the Four Gods? What _is_ this?

Tamahome looked at the page and steadily read the translated words, "Herein contains the tale of a young man and his quest to gather the seven constellations of Suzaku together. And if you, the esteemed reader, should read to the story's end, the spell contained within this book shall bestow upon you the powers of the hero, and grant you your wish. For indeed the moment this page is turned , the story will become reality."

Tamahome stopped reading and looked over to Yui who was crouched beside him looking at the book as well. "So, if you read this book, your wish will come true? Hell yea I'll read it." the boy said with a grin.

Yui cocked an eyebrow, "You're actually buys this b.s. Yeah right and-"

Yui words were cut off as everything began to shake. Yui instantly latched onto Tamahome as they ducked down to avoid the books that seemed to be raining down on the them from the shelves, almost as soon as it had started, it stopped and everything was still again.

Tamahome warily lifted his head, "Yui it looks like it's over. We're fine now."

"Good because that was really-" Yui stopped short. "Um, where are we?" she said almost in a scared voice.

Looking around Tamahome could see that they definitely weren't in the library anymore. In fact it didn't even look like they were in Japan anymore.

Deep set into the horizon, jagged rows of mountains could be seen jutting up from the earth, and all around them, instead of grass and sidewalks, was dirt compacted into makeshift paths. A few barren trees sprinkled the landscape.

Tamahome was jarred out of his thoughts as Yui hit him upside the head, "Did that hurt?"

He glowered at her, "Yes, of course it did!" he yelled, hitting her in return and sending her sprawling onto her back.. He rubbed his head, "Well, if this is a dream then it definitely hurts."

"Gods, where are we?" Yui said, getting frustrated at the lack of knowing where they were.

"Yui, I have no idea. But we sure as hell aren't anywhere I've ever seen before…" Tamahome trailed off as he brought a hand to his forehead to shield the sun as he looked around.

Yui shrill scream made him fling around only to have a dagger positioned right at his jugular. "Yui!"

The men surrounding the girl didn't look to appealing. The seemed to be older, about in their forties and their intentions didn't seem to be the best as they flipped Yui over. "This one's a real jewel," one of the men laughed. "That she is. She'll fetch a great price" The other answered in return.

As dire as the situation was, Tamahome couldn't help but be fascinated by the clothing these men had chosen to adorn. "Uh, nice clothes. Are you guys dancers or something?"

The leader narrowed his eyes at the boy, "You little shit. We're slavers."

"Tamahome! You could help me you know!" Yui screamed over the shoulder of her captor.

"Oh right." Tamahome said nervously as he remembered their situation.

With all the distraction, Tamahome had no trouble shoving the dagger at his neck aside and body slamming the man holding Yui. "Yui! Run!" The man immediately dropped the girl but Tamahome's luck was a little worse for now he had not a dagger, but a very large knife pressed tightly into his throat. "Do you want to die, brat?" the man threatened pressing the blade tighter.

Tamahome waited for the blow of the knife but it didn't come. He opened one eyes as saw a figure with a cloak covering it's face grabbing the man's arm, "Stop it," the figure said in a deathly calm voice.

The man struggled against the grip, "Mind yer own buisne--" his words were cut off as the figure twisted the man's arm into an unnatural position behind his back, getting a reward of snapping bones.

He dropped the man's arm and let him go. "You broke my arm!" the man shouted angrily as his men dragged him away. "C'mon, boss, let's just get outta here."

The figure turned back to Tamahome and Yui. "Are you alright?" The friends nodded lightly.

Tamahome gazed up at the stranger. All he could see were two eyes and the person's forehead. _Wait. What's that on his forehead? It's some kind of character…._

"Th-thank's so much." Yui managed to stutter out.

"No problem." The figure reached up towards the piece of cloth wrapped around his head and pulled it down to reveal--

"You're a girl!" Tamahome said astonished.

The girl grinned down. "That I am. Before you ask, it's hard to earn respect as a fighter when you're a girl. That's I why I wear this," she said indicating to the cloak wrapped around her form. "Be more careful, by the way. Later," and before either Yui or Tamahome could protest the girl ran off.

"Weird…" Yui said looking after the girl's retreating figure.

Once again another strange rumbling caused the pair panic. Yui gripped Tamahome tightly as the 'earthquake' intensified. "Aieeeeeee!" Yui screamed as everything around them began to fade.

With a hard 'thwump' Tamahome felt his body hit a hard floor. He opened his eyes to see that he was in the library.

"Hey! We're back in the library!" Yui called to him from a few feet away.

"Did we get kicked out?" Looking at the clock Tamahome paled at the time, "Oh great, now I'm gonna miss cram school!"

"Who's in here!" a loud voice called out as the door was flung open. "Get out _now!_ The sign says **Do Not Enter! **Can't you read!"

"Uh, sorry…" They said in unison as they slunk out of the forbidden room and out of the library.

* * *

"Ok. There are only two months left until you must take your entrance exams. This is where it gets harder and harder. You will have to work for this, so in the end will you be laughing or crying? The choice is up to you…"

Tamahome drifted off into his thoughts as his cram teacher rambled on. _That was almost to wild to be a dream. Everything seemed so _real. _Maybe I' just seeing things cause of my lack of sleep. Not. _

_**Smack.**_

Tamahome winced at looked up to his teacher who had hit him to get his attention. "Not only are you late, but on top of that you decided to drift off into dream land too? Hoe do you possible expect to get into Jonan acting like this? You have to be in the top 75th percentile or you won't even get a second chance. You must realize that only 30 percent of the student who apply are admitted."

Tamahome rolled his eyes as the teacher walked away…._always the same speech. _

* * *

Tamahome sat at his desk in his room. _Dinner tonight was horrible. How am I ever going to tell Mom that Yotsubadai is where I really want to go? She has her hopes set on me getting into Jonan. 'You'll do it for me right?' Gods, she always gets me with that line._

Tamahome put his head down on his hands, heaving a sigh. _That girl, from my dream. It was weird but she had the character for 'demon' written on her forehead in kanji, I wonder why. She was actually really pretty…_

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"Hey Tamahome! Let's go to the library again after school. I can't get that book off my mind, I think we should go look at it at least once more." Tamahome looked over at Yui from his desk as the final bell of the day rang.

"Wish I could, but I really gotta do well on this test so I'm going to the extra cram school tonight." _If only Mom hadn't made such a big deal about getting in last night then I could tell her I wanna go to Yotsubadai. _

Tamahome walked down the street looking at the people he passed. Sighing heavily he looked at all the couples that were out despite the cold temperatures. Pulling his coat tighter he continued to make his way back to his house. _Damn, I'm so tired, I could hardly pay attention in cram school. _

Tamahome opened the door, welcoming the blast of heat that hit his face, "I'm home." he called out to whoever was there.

"Tamahome! Where have you been? I've been worrying about you!" Tamahome stopped and watched as his mother came hurrying from the kitchen.

He opened his mouth to respond but was cut off, "You're off seeing a girl aren't you?"

"No I-" He began to protest but was cut off again.

"Why would do this? With your exams coming up too! Did you even go to cram school tonight?

"Mom just let me--"

"No. You listen to me. There is no way you'll ever get into Jonan at this rate. What will the neighbors say? Think about my reputation--"

"**_Damnit! I don't want to go Jonan! _**You're the one that wants me to, **_you._** I'm tired of doing this because _you _want it!" Tamahome yelled back but was cut off by a sudden force hitting his face. He'd been slapped.

He hung his head, "I can't deal with this right now…" he said, turning and dashing down the hallway.

"**_Tamahome!"_** He could hear his mother calling after him but he kept going.

"I'm home!" Keisuke called out as he walked in the front door. _Slam. _Tamahome knocked Keisuke out of the way and walked out the front door, slamming it behind him.

"Tamahome!" His mother called reaching the door as it slammed in her face.

_God, no matter what I want, I keep on studying. I did it for you, to make you happy, now look where it's go me._

Tamahome stopped running. _How'd I end up at the library?_ Tamahome walked in quietly. _No one's here…I wonder if Yui ever ended up coming today…_

Tamahome looked up and found himself opening the door to the restricted section. Paying no mind to the sign he opened the door and walked inside to see the Universe of the Four Gods lying right where he and Yui had left it the other day.

_The book's still open…I might as well read some more of it. Getting away from Mom for a bit will do me some good…..So, let's see. If I read this book to the end then I getta wish, hmm. Yeah right. But what the hell, why not? I really do wish my problems would go away though, that I wouldn't have to concern myself so much with the stupid exams…_

Tamahome looked down to begin reading but what was written caught his eye. "A strong young woman who bore the character for demon on her forehead saved the…" He kept reading. _What the hell? How is everything that happened in my dream written right here!_

Suddenly a large flash of light began radiating from the book and Tamahome felt a breeze stir up from no where. "Wh-what?" he stuttered out as he shielded his eyes from the bright light.

The book, now laying on the floor with no Tamahome in sight, suddenly produced more print.

"**And thus, the young man of legends opened the door to another world, and likewise began out tale."**

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	2. The Boy of Legends and the Land of the G...

**Disclaimer:** Sadly, I don't own Fushigi Yugi...

**A/N:** Ok, I want to say thanks to Grand Lethal who was the first to review this story!

_Reviewer Response:_

Grand Lethal: Yes, I plan on having the characters treat Tamahome as they did Miaka, I figure it'll be interesting too. Although Hotohori's character is posing a problem on whether he should like Miaka of Tamahome...

Patti: The charcters are going to stay the same for the most part, but I may make some slight changes.

Silver Pain: Yeah, I realize the chapters are very alike but don't worry that's only for the first couple.

**A/N (again):** I have a pretty good idea on how to handle the characters but any input on who should like who, or if someone should be a girl instead of a boy, would be helpful. I'd just like to see what you guys think.

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**Chapter Two:**

"Hm?" Tamahome groaned as he opened his eyes. Instantly remembering what had happened he shot up, looking around; not entirely surprised to see he was back in his dream, or wherever he was.

_Uh oh. What'll I do? What'll I do! I have to find a way back home…wait. Scratch that. What would I do if I got back? Walk inside like nothing happened? Don't think so. Maybe I'm better off here for a while. Besides last time I was here with Yui were got back just fine…_

Tamahome suddenly cheered up, "While I'm here I can find that girl. I sure haven't seen anyone at home that beautiful."

Looking down he noticed he was sitting on the back of a wagon that was being pulled quite slowly by a horse. _Well now that I've made up my mind…_ He jumped down and stopped to survey his surroundings. Looking up he saw a tall building with the traditional Japanese roofing that stood a few stories tall.

"Wow. That's pretty nice, it looks like the set of a movie. You don't see places this nice at home."

Turning, a flash in the crown caught his attentions. It was the girl from before. "Hey! It's that girl." he mumbled quietly to himself as he rushed into the crowd after her.

All around him people were bustling about carrying this or that and trying to barter for a sale. It was nothing like it was in the streets where he was now. Wide-eyed he continued to look for the girl paying no attention to the people whispering and muttering about 'his strange clothes and appearance.'

"Where'd she go!" he said confused after losing sight of her. A sudden smell slammed into his face making his stomach rumble in hunger. "Oh yeah. I haven't eaten since lunch today…." He followed the smell until he found the food it was drifting from. "Hey, have you seen a girl around here with the character for demon written on her forehead. She's my age…" He would have asked more questions but he decided to take of when the man he paid started yelling about what kind of money he had been given.

"Hey, I'm looking for a girl…she's got the character for demon on her forehead…" _Gods, no one knows what I'm talking about….I can't find her anywhere. Too bad Yui isn't here to help._

A tap on the shoulder made him turn to see a boy about his age behind him. "Hey, I heard you're looking for a girl with a demon character on her forehead."

Tamahome brightened, "Yeah! I am. Do you know where I can find her?"

The boy grinned, "Yeah, I do. She's a friend of mine, I'll take you to her."

Tamahome smiled, "Thanks."

Tamahome followed the boy as they pushed through the crowds. _Finally, I was starting to think I'd have to give up on finding her…_he sighed.

Miaka sat at a table outside eating a quick lunch, listening to the people around her talk loudly to each other. "So I heard this boy was running around asking for a girl with a demon character on her forehead." One of the women said to her friend.

Miaka was instantly beside them. "Is that true?"

The women just stared. "Is he a guy with baggy pants and a weird shirt? With short hair?" She asked looking back and forth between the two women.

"I wouldn't know. Hey, who are you anyway?" The woman asked skeptically.

"Oh sorry, I'm Miaka. Now if you'll excuse me I must be going." Miaka rushed off as the two women just stared at her with dumbfounded expressions.

Tamahome wondered how far away this girl had managed to get. The had walked to the outskirts of the small town. "So, uh where's your friend?" He asked, starting to wonder if this was all a bunch of b.s.

"Right here." Before Tamahome could even react he was slammed up against a wall with an arm against his throat, surrounded by at least four or five guys.

The guys grinned. "This looks like an easy one to rob. Where'd you find him?" One of the guys laughed.

The one that had brought Tamahome here answered, "He was wandering around looking for someone so I told him I knew 'em. Pretty nice, huh?"

"Alright so hand over you're money and we'll let you go without roughing you up too bad." One of the guys said. _O no. I can't give them my money. _

"How about I don't, and I leave before I kick all your asses." Tamahome had dealt with his fair share of fights. He wasn't new at this.

The guys laughed but before they could say anything he had delivered a roundhouse kick to each of their jaws sending them top ground. Cocking an eyebrow he turned to leave but was sent crashing to ground seconds later as one of the boys grabbed his ankle and ripped it out from under him.

Tamahome waited for the punch to the face that he expected was coming but once again it never came. He looked up to see the girl from before, but again she had the cloak wrapped around her face. Whatever she had done worked because the guys were all scrambling to leave.

As the guys ran off she pulled the cloak back and smiled at him. "I knew it'd be you. Your friend isn't with you this time." She said the last part as a question. "You ok?" she asked as he put out a hand to help him to his feet.

"So, you were looking for me?" She said with a small grin.

"Yeah. I wanted to find you-"

"For what?" she asked curiously.

Silence

"Nothing huh? Well then I'm off." She said turning as she finished her statement.

"Wait!" he called out diving to the ground and grabbing her leg, pulling her down to the ground in front of him.

"Listen you--"Miaka started, not too happy about being shoved to the floor.

"I wanted to say thanks. Yeah, that's what I wanted to say." He said quickly before she got angrier. "You helped me out twice so I fell I owe you at least something."

The girl smiled lightly. "Don't worry about it. I've got some work to do so I'll be on my way. Go on home" She started to turn and leave once more.

"I can't. Look, I don't know where to go so at least help me out here." Tamahome was getting frustrated about having to practically beg this girl to let him follow her. The things he did…it made him want to almost shake his head at himself. But he didn't have much of a choice so he went with what he could get.

The girl sighed. Tamahome could tell she was debating on what to say to him, he spoke up, hoping to better his case, "Look, I'll help you out with whatever work you're doing, ok?" That seemed to end the deal.

"Sure, ok." she said turning and pausing slightly so he could follow in suit. After only a few moments she stopped and pointed at what seemed to be a procession of some kind. "See that? That's for the emperor. In the center in thefanciest one sits the emperor of Hong-Nan. If you grab a jewel or two from his carriage we'd be in a lot of money…But then again that's almost impossible so…"

What Miaka hadn't counted on was Tamahome's love for money and no sooner had she the phrase '..be in a lot of money' he'd made up his mind. Shoving past her he called out over his shoulder, "I'll be back with the gems."

Miaka's jaw almost hit the floor at the realization that the boy was really going to go for it. "Wait! I wasn't serious!" she called after him but it was too late, he was already approaching the emperor's carriage. She quickly took off after him praying as she went that he wasn't beheaded on the spot.

Meanwhile, Tamahome had gotten to the Emperor's carriage. "Hey. Are you the emperor?"

After a brief pause there came an answer, "Who is this?" Tamahome was surprised that the emperor was so young. "I need a favor." he began, "If I could just have two of the gems from your crown that's be really great." he said plastering on a huge smile. "I owe someone a huge favor. Hey, think you could wait a sec. Here?" He added after the carriage continued to plow forward.

At this, the guards almost had hear attacks. "No one addresses the emperor like that!" Before Tamahome could really react he was being pulled on by more that a couple guards. _Uh oh, this can't be good…._

As a guard reached up to strike him Tamahome felt a blow to the side and looked down to see that the girl had once again helped him out. She had tackled him from the guard and was now yanking on his arm to pry him off of the ground. "Do you want to get yourself killed?" She asked in a tense voice as she grabbed his wrist and started pulling him quickly through the crowds. "Look. I was trying to repay the favor but now I just one more." Girl or not, Tamahome was one who loyal enough repay a debut if he needed to, so if he had to, he keep at this all week.

The girl's look softened a bit. "I'm Miaka Yuki, who're you?" "Tamahome Sukunami"

(A/N: I do realize that Sukunami is Tamahome's last name after he is reincarnated as Taka but it's the best I can do for now, so we'll just go with it. )

The girl smiled, "Alright Tamahome, you can come around with me."

Miaka's smile disappeared in a flash as a shout was heard over the crowds, "There they are! Get back here, bastard!"

"Oh no. Come on, we gotta run. Let's go." Miaka said grabbing Tamahome's wrist, dragging him once more through the crowds.

She glanced back to look at him and stopped dead in her tracks. "Hey!" she cried out, pointing to his body.

Tamahome looked down. _My body. It's disappearing , just like when I came here earlier_…_shit that means I'm going back_...

Back with the emperor the guards were seeing everything that was happening as well. There were shouts of, "Your majesty. The boy's fading into a red light!" "He's disappearing!" "He's a monster!" and "Ahhhhh!"

_I'm going back home. Wait, I can't go back now. This is all happening too fast, I just got to know that girl I at least want an explanation and a chance to say good-bye! _

As Miaka's face begin to fade away Tamahome did the only thing he could think of to remain in the book. He screamed. "Damnit, STOP!"

He opened his eyes to a very confused Miaka. "Uh. Guess I'm back…." He smiled nervously.

Miaka looked at him oddly, "What…what are you?" She asked quietly, her voice holding, not fear, but more of a apprehensive curiosity.

A gruff shout of "Detain the young man and the girl," cut Tamahome off before he could respond to Miaka. He looked around him as at least twenty sharp spears were thrust in his direction entrapping Miaka and himself in a tight circle.  
_Yep. I'm screwed. _Was the main thought going through Tamahome's head.

* * *

**A/N:**

I just wanted to say that I do realize that the chapters so far have been very alike to the original chapters of Fushigi Yugi. I did this to establish the same general background that was used in the normal story, however, the remaining chapters will not be like this. They may possibly follow similar lines but they will be more original.


	3. The Priest of Suzaku

Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own Fushigi Yugi...

Thanks to those who have reviewed! I really appreciated it.

**Reviewer Response:  
**Silver Pain: Actually, I think that those a great ideas, I'd already thought about doing that with Nuriko and I do have an interesting twist for Hotohori.  
Sarah Jaye: Thanks for the tip, I'll fix it when I get the chance.  
Princess Patti: Don't worry, Tasuki will make his appearence fairly soon.  
Thanks to the other reviewrs as well!

* * *

**Chapter Three:** **Priest of Suzaku**

Miaka looked at him oddly, "What…what are you?" She asked quietly, her voice holding, not fear, but more of a apprehensive curiosity.

A gruff shout of "Detain the young man and the girl," cut Tamahome off before he could respond to Miaka. He looked around him as at least twenty sharp spears were thrust in his direction entrapping Miaka and himself in a tight circle.

* * *

Poke…..pause….Poke... Tamahome felt the tiny assaults on his arm three or four times before he realized that he was sleeping. Opening his eyes he sat up but soon regretted his choice when a sharp pain came rushing into his brain. He brought his hand up to his head, cupping his forehead.

"Finally, I thought I was going to have to resort to extreme measures." Tamahome jumped at the sound of voice close by.

He slowly turned to see Miaka with a tiny grin painted on her face. He furrowed his brow, "Uh, what's going on?" He said noticing that his surroundings were nothing that he remembered seeing before.

"Um, we're in the dungeon. We've been down here for about an hour, jeez, that hit to your head must have done some damage." She grinned at her last statement.

"Hit?" Tamahome repeated, evidently clueless.

Miaka sighed, "Remember? We were caught by the guards and they knocked us out and locked us down here." She pointed her arm out, indicating to the walls of the dungeon.

Tamahome rubbed his head, _No I don't remember that at all but oh well…._ "So….how we gonna get outta here?" He asked walking over to the thick wooden door, made from crossing large planks and nailing them together.

There was a pause, "I dunno." Tamahome could tell she had just shrugged even though he had his back to her.

"The door doesn't seem that strong, maybe we can force out way out." he said backing up to try and ram the door. Sure, he'd done this lots of times back home with the wooden door leading to his brothers room. This one couldn't be that much stronger could it? Hell there wasa lot less to it. It had large 1 foot squares cut out of it, it couldn't be that strong.

"Um, I wouldn't--" Miaka started her warning but didn't get to finish as Tamahome ran at the door and attempted to shoulder it down.

Miaka winced as the boy hit the door and suddenly stopped slumping to the floor. "Ow…." Miaka laughed, "The wood making these doors is as thick as a large tree branch."

"What didn't you tell me that?" he grumbled rubbing his shoulder. Miaka scowled slightly, "I tried to! Don't blame it on me."

Before Tamahome could argue any further a gruff voice sounded from somewhere down the stone hallway. "Shut up you two!" It was obvious it was one of the guards, and from the sound of the echoing footsteps it was also obvious that he was coming down to their cell.

"Now's out chance, we've gotta do something to get out."

Tamahome franticly started thinking of something, anything that would work. Head bent in concentration he tried to think of something.

A tap on the shoulder pulled him from his thoughts seconds later, "Coming? If we stand here all day they'll catch us again."

"Wha-?" Tamahome looked from Miaka, to the open door, to the guard lying unconscious on the floor, then back to Miaka. "How-?"

Miaka smiled, "Feminine charm." she stated simply with a smile.

Tamahome laughed and shook his head, "Don't wanna know."

After a few minutes Tamahome and Miaka emerged from the dingy prison tunnels. _Nice to be outta there…_

He followed Miaka as she walked down a long hallway decorated with brilliant reds and golds, with decorations ornamenting almost every inch of the walls.

Miaka paused at the large wooded door that was stationed at the end of the hallway. After putting her ear up to the door so slowly pushed it open and slipped inside, Tamahome right behind her.

The they entered into was stunning. The same reds and golds shone from the walls and, if possible, there even more decorations in the room. One particular item caught Tamahome's eyes. He walked over to a large statue or a golden bird. Behind the figure was a large tapestry with what seemed to be the seven constellations. Without turning his head he called to Miaka, "Hey, what's this?"

Miaka walked over to him. "Oh, that's Suzaku." Miaka continued to explain after the confused look on Tamahome's face didn't disappear. "There are four Gods, Byakko, Genbu, Seiryu, and Suzaku. Like I said, this is Suzaku, who is the God of our country. The other countries worship one of the other Gods."

Tamahome planned on listening intently to what Miaka had to say, but thanks to his short attention span, a large pile of golden coins down the hall caught his eye. Without thinking he walked down the hall and into the room which held not only cold coins, but also gems and many other valuables. Tamahome had to resist the urge to drool as his eyes canvassed the room.

Meanwhile, Miaka was still talking completely oblivious to the fact that Tamahome had skipped off. Three minutes later, upon finishing her little speech she turned to address Tamahome. "Yeah, so anyways, we should be leaving before we get cau--uh, Tamahome?" _Oh, God this isn't good._ Frantically she began running around trying to find the boy.

Emerging from the room, with a couple coins weighing his pockets down quite nicely, Tamahome looked around and realized that he had no idea where the hell he was. In his excitement to go look at the money he hadn't bothered to look and see where he had gone. _Oh no, oh no, whaddle I do? OK, I gotta get outta here._

Luckily for him, he was able to find an exit only a few feet away. So making a mad dash for it he ran outside and tried to figure out what to do next. _I need to get out of here, but I can't just leave Miaka._

While he argued with himself, he didn't notice the figure that was sitting only a few feet away on the railing of the porch.

"You must be one of the prisoners they took in earlier." Tamahome spun quickly to find himself looking at an incredibly beautiful girl.

"Uh, um, I…Nope, you got the wrong guy, sorry. I'll just be on my way." He made to quickly hurry off but the girl protested strongly. "No. It's alright, I won't tell the guards. Why don't I show you around? Maybe you can find whoever you're looking for, then you can go home in peace without the guards following you." She smiled politely.

Tamahome laughed lightly, "Yeah, uh, well the thing is, I don't think I can go back to my world so um, yeah." He didn't really know what to say, this whole situation was so strange.

The girl smiled, "So the rumors are true then. You did come from another world?"

"Yep…." Once again, what did you say to that.

"Well, I'm Hotohori by the way."

Tamahome smiled, "I'm Tamahome." His smile vanished as the sound of shouts and heavy footsteps began to come close. He didn't need anyone to point out that it was the guards.

He watched as Miaka came around the corner with six or seven guards surrounding her, "Where's that boy?" The asked her fiercely. "Hmm, well damn, seems he's gotten away." She responded lightly not at all deterred by the surly manner of the guards.

Miaka winced as she received a swift blow to the face, "Your rudeness is not appealing. We know you know where the boy is. Tell us now."

"Miaka!" He called out, stepping into the open for the guards to see. He wasn't sure why but when the guard hit her he felt compelled to say something.

The guards made to advance on him but stopped dead in their tracks with beyond surprised looks on their faces after only a few steps.

Tamahome tilted his head to the side, _Why are they stopping? _"Emperor!" they shouted, immediately backing down. Tamahome turned to look at the girl he had been standing with. Now, instead of a long kimono type cloth, she wore a mans outfit. "Um?" Was pretty much all Tamahome could say, who wouldn't be confused in that situation?

"Haha, good one." Tamahome laughed a bit nervously, "But isn't the emperor a guy? Cause uh, you're a girl…."

Awkward Silence

Miaka, who had managed to end up standing next to Tamahome leaned over and whispered in his ear, "That's a guy."

* * *

"I am sorry about the mix up. I can understand how that situation could have been confusing."

"You have no idea…" Tamahome mumbled to himself.

"So…we can leave then?" He asked.

"Yes. But before you depart we must ask of you a favor. Priest of Suzaku."

Tamahome remained in his sitting position. They couldn't possibly mean him could they?

"I believe you have heard the legend of Suzaku, am I correct?"

Tamahome nodded dumbly.

"Um, yeah I think you have the wrong guy, sorry it didn't work out…." He made to get up and leave but a hand on his wrist suggested otherwise. He looked down to see Miaka's hand wrapped around his wrist. "Wait." she said quietly, almost a whisper.

"You have a wish, do you not? You came to our land with a wish you desired to be granted." Tamahome gazed back at Hotohori.

_I could have anything I wanted…A hot girlfriend, all the money in the world! _Tamahome practically started drooling at that thought, _And…and I could also get into Jonan…well in that case, hell yeah, I'll do it!_

"Ok, I'm in." He curled his hand into a fist and pumped his arm in a dramatic show of victory.

"Everyone. Our Priest of Suzaku will now obtain his power."

As Tamahome turned to look behind him he noticed that everyone was now kneeling before him; even Miaka.

_Wow, look at them. They're treating me like I'm royalty or something…_

"Ok well, this has been a blast but I have to get home now, cya!" Tamahome gave a leisurely flick of the hand in a small wave as he turned to leave.

"Hold on, you just said…"

Tamahome turned back to Hotohori. "Yes, I know what I said, but first I gotta get home. I have school. And I guess I should say something to mom." He added the last bit a little more quietly.

**_Hey, what's this book doing on the floor here? It looks like someone's been in here, the lock's broken…_**

_The voices, they're coming from _outside_ the book! _"No! Wait, don't close the book!" Tamahome yelled out, earning a few interesting and concerned looks from those in the room.

"Shit! I won't be able to get back. Stop!"

**_Slam_**. **_Alright, let's go now, we should probably close the place up._**

Tamahome stood stock still. _Oh God. What'll I do now? My only exit from here was that book. Now it's closed I'll never get back…_

* * *

Tamahome sat on the soft bed of the room he was given. In his hand was a picture of Yui, himself and a couple other friends. _God, I really may never see home again…I'll never see my friends, I'll never see the movie theatre, or the arcade, I'll never see modern money! And I'll have done all work, all that studying for _nothing. _I wonder how long it's been, I mean how many hours, days have I been here?_

A quick knock on the head brought Tamahome out of his thoughts. "You look pretty concentrated, what'cha thinking about?"

He turned to see Miaka sitting on the edge of his bead next to him.

"Hey, what are you doing in my room?"

She ignored his question, "C'mon be happy. I'm here to better your mood."

Tamahome shrugged it off, "I'm fine."

He was about to protest further when he felt two arms encircle him in a tight hug.

Miaka released him and looked up at him, "You looked like you needed a hug. Besides if something's bothering you, don't hold back. Let it all out."

After a few moments Miaka spoke up again, "So I was thinking. You wanted to go home right? Well, if you summon Suzaku you can use a wish to get home."

Tamahome followed Miaka to Hotohori. They found him a few minutes later walking down one of the elaborate hallways. "Tamahome, Miaka, I hope you're stay had been alright so far."

They both nodded, "Um, I was wondering…How could I get Suzaku's powers?"

The emperor smiled, "I was just looking into that in _The Universe of the Four Gods_. It's a book of prophesies handed down to us from Tai Yi-Jun."

_Whoa, _Universe of the Four Gods_….that's the book I was reading, that's _this_ book. _

"According to the book there are seven celestial warriors to accompany you. I, Hotohori, and one of them as is Miaka. I am Hydra and Miaka is Cancer. That leaves five more celestial warriors that, along with us two, are meant to protect the Priest so that he may summon Suzaku and obtain the powers. Right now, you task is to find the five remaining constellations. There are a total of twenty-eight constellations divided between the four directions of North, South, East and West. Suzaku is the divine God of the South. Our eight constellations are Hotohori, Miaka, Tasuki, Nuriko, Chiriko, Mitsukake, and Chichiri."

Tamahome paused before turning to Miaka, "So…you knew all about this?"

She slowly shook her head, "No. I knew I was named after a constellation but I didn't know that I was meant to protect you."

_I have to find these constellations quick or I won't make it back in time to pass high school!_

"Ok well how do I find the others then!" he asked anxiously.

"There are clues written here. The third constellation will be identified by the characters Gong and Wu; the first meaning palace and the second fierce strength."

"Ok…well then let's go find them. We should round up all the men in the palace and find the strongest one!" Tamahome ran off excitedly dragging Miaka behind him, with Hotohori following behind.

* * *

**A/N:  
**Ok, first of all, I do plan on making changes in this stories like I had said before, but right now it's a little dificult since only three of the characters have been introduced. So once most of the warriors are in the picture then things will start to change. But there are also acouple main events from the original story that I'm going to keep in mine.


	4. The Second Constelation

Disclaimer: By no means do I own Fushigi Yugi...or, sadly, Tamahome...

Thanks again to all those who've reviewd! To all the others, R&R, and I'm open to any ideas for the story if you have them

**Reader Response:**  
Dreammaker13, Fuffy'sLova, Tiki-Chan, SaraJaye, Auron's Fan: Thank's for the compliments And here's the update that you wanted! Once exams are over the updates will be more often.  
Silver Pain: Yay parties! Yes, there is a nice twist for Hotohori, but it may take a couple quizes to come out. Yeah it's scary, but I thought a more serious Miaka and a crazier Tamahome might be nice...

* * *

**Chapter 4: The Second Constelation**

"There are clues written here. The third constellation will be identified by the characters Gong and Wu; the first meaning palace and the second fierce strength."

"Ok…well then let's go find them. We should round up all the men in the palace and find the strongest one!" Tamahome ran off excitedly dragging Miaka behind him, with Hotohori following behind.

Ten minutes later Tamahome stood before the strongest men in Hotohori's army. "Sir, all the men have been summoned." One of the servants bowed slightly before backing up and taking his place among he others.

"Yes, well done. Now, Tamahome, how are you going to test these men?" The emporor asked curiously.

Tamahome paused for a moment before speaking, "So…Do you have any odd markings on your bodies? Characters maybe?"

The men just stared silently back.

"Or not then…" Tamahome said slowly. _Right then, time for a new tactic. Well, the scroll said that this warrior would have the character for strong, so maybe I should test strength…_

Tamahome looked around his nearby surroundings before finding the object he was searching for.

Quickly he ran over and grabbed a large elliptical stone decoration and heaved up into his arms. He waddled back over to the others, struggling quite a bit with the large object in his arms. Setting on the ground he turned to Miaka and Hotohori. "Ok, so we're looking for strength right? Well I figure if they can catch this thing they've gotta be pretty strong."

Not bothering to wait for a reply or for any input, Tamahome once again heaved the large object from the ground and, using all is strength that he had acquired from lifting weights in gym class, tossed to object at the by standing soldiers. "Heads Up!" He shouted as the heavy decoration sailed through the air.

The men standing by hardly had any time to react and, thankfully, most of them were bright enough to move out of the way, however there always that one who a bit dimmer than the rest. He was the one who managed to get his foot smashed beneath the stone.

"Hey! What are you doing you fool? Trying to kill us!" _Uh oh, maybe that wasn't the best plan…_

Slowly Tamahome back away from the warriors who now had a murderous look in their eyes, except of course for the one with the now broken foot.

Tamahome took off running as the men heaved some of the same stone decorations in his direction. He was running straight at one of the small temples that lay just beyond the main courtyard.

"TAMAHOME! Get away from there!" He faintly heard a voice screaming to him.

It was hard to tell who it was over the sound of the small explosions that erupted around him. _Wait, small explosions….Oh, shit! The temples collapsing!_

With no where to move, Tamahome flung his arms over head in hope of protecting himself. As he head the collapsing temple fall to the ground around him, he briefly felt a force slam into his body.

"TAMAHOME!"

* * *

"570 yen, please." Yui smiled up at the cashier grabbing her bad of items off the counter after receiving her change.

"Gods, Yui what'd you buy!" The girl smiled at her friends.

"Just some manga…and candy." She added the last part with a grin as she popped one of the round sour pieces into her mouth, puckering slightly at the acidic taste.

"Ohmygod! Yui, what happened are you ok?" Myya, one of her friends almost dropped her own bag as she pointed franticly at Yui's leg.

"What are--" Yui stopped mid-sentence as she looked down her leg. A large pool of blood had already stained the fabric of her uniform skirt and some of it was starting to leak down her leg. Suddenly, she didn't feell so good.

* * *

"Faster! We must get rid of the debris!" Hotohori shouted at the attendants who had rushed over to help at the collapse of the small temple. "Your highness, we can't. Most of the warriors fled when they saw that they destroyed the temple."

Hotohori ignored them and continued moving the pieces that he could get to.

Tamahome squinted open his eyes to see, not rubble like he had expected, but Miaka's face.

"Mi-aka?" He said almost quietly. Miaka's eyes were squinted in pain. _I felt something hit my body…it was Miaka. Gods, if I were back home, being saved by a girl, the guys would never let me hear the end of it, but in this time, it's almost like's it…normal…_

Tamahome knew that now was not the time to be thinking that but then again, did anyone ever really have control over their thoughts? No.

Miaka was straddling his stomach, her back bent and her arms braces firmly on the ground near his shoulders. On her back rest a large pillar that had fallen with the rest of the temple. He realized that she was struggling to keep the stone from crushing them both.

"Miaka! Stop! You're going to hurt yourself. Stop!"

Miaka opened her eyes and look straight at him. "You idiot. I'm supposed to protect you right? I wouldn't be very good at my job if I just stood by at let you get hurt." She tried to grin but it turned into a grimace as the strength in her arms wavered.

About ten feet away Hotohori was almost going into cardiac arrest. "Miaka, Tamahome! Gods, something must be done." He couldn't lose a celestial warrior or the priest or they would be in big trouble.

"Let me handle this." Hotohori spun around to look at the speaker, a wave of relief washing over his face.

"Urrghh…Gods, I-I can't hold it anymore…" Miaka's arms began to shake as her body pressed closer and closer to Tamahome's. "Miaka!"

Suddenly they weight on the girls back was lifted and Tamahome could see the blue of the sky above him. The rubble had been cleared.

"Ah, so you're still alive. Good." Tamahome looked up to see a man-no wait, a boy; seeming to be only a couple years older than he, standing above them.

"So you're sure you two are alright?" Hotohori asked, eyeing both Miaka and Tamahome suspiciously. They nodded un unison.

Hotohori didn't seem to believe them but he let it be as some of the attendants tended to their wounds.

"Ouch! Watch it will ya?" Miaka winced as the wet cloth slid over a particularly tender spot.

Tamahome glanced at Miaka. _I thought my heart stopped right t here…_he thought back to when Miaka's arms began to give out and she was being forced down closer to him.

"So, from your display of immense strength I assume you're a member of the inner seraglio? Or maybe…could you possibly.."

He was cut off when the boy before them pulled at the neck of his robes to reveal a kanji character. "I'm Kang-Lin. Or Nuriko, by constellation standards."

Tamahome popped out from behind the emporor, "Thanks for helping us out back there, I'm Tamahome." He finished his greeting by sticking his hand out.

Nuriko barely gave his hand a glance as she turned and stomped over towards Miaka who was having her arm bandaged.

He smirked, "The one I was interested in rescuing was her." Instead of indicating to Miaka like a normal person, Nuriko grabbed both sides of Miaka's face and slammed his lips against hers.

"M-Mi-aka!" Tamahome said in disbelief.

* * *

"Something's not right here. I mean what is this?" Yui said almost angrily as she shoved open the door that lead to the women's bathroom inside the store.

"It's not that time of the month is it?" Ayya asked her

Yui threw a look at her friend. "No it isn't and even if it were ho would the blood get all the way down there?"

Her friend shrugged.

Yui stood on her tip-toes and stuck the hem of her skirt under the faucet and scrubbed. "It's not coming out." She said, sighing in frustration.

"Let me try." Yui's other friend, Tsuya said, grabbing the hem and rubbing the material together. "You're right…it won't even fade."

Yui was about to give up when all of a sudden the stain vanished in a second, also drenching her with water. "Um…" That was pretty much Yui's response, what else could you say to that?

* * *

"Gods, finally. That took forever." Tamahome sighed, the blood stain was finally gone. He removed his shirt and threw both his shirt and pants into the tub of water. "Who knew blood stains were so hard to get out. Now I know why mom hates doing the laundry."

_That boy, Nuriko. Where the hell does he get off kissing Miaka? What was that all about? Oh well, I can't focus on that, I've gotta get the other constellations so I can get back home. I'll just have to suck it up and be friends will them, even Nuriko. _

Tamahome sat on the stool in just his boxers, dunking his clothes in and out of the water in the tub. Moments later a frantic Miaka came tearing into the room, "TAMAHOME!" she yelled breathlessly.

Startled he jumped up, but then quickly sat back down realizing he was only in his underwear. "Um, can I help you?" he said.

"Ahhh! Need a place to hide! Heeelp!" She wailed as she darted around looking for a place to cower, the meanwhile Tamahome just stared at her like she was nuts.

The girl look as though she were about to say something further but never got the chance because seconds later a hand darted out and grabbed one of Miaka's wrists that was flailing wildly about, causing her to stop abruptly, her face paling.

"Oh, hey Tamahome, what's going on?" Although it was question, Nuriko phrased it as a rhetorical one, so Tamahome didn't even bother responding.

Nuriko laughed lightly, "Miaka's just a little shy. Let's go." Tamahome tried not to bust out laughing on the truly genuine expression plastered on the girl's face. It was look of pure desperation and terror. He held in his snicker and watched as the girl desperately tried to hold onto the doorframe with her free hand.

But, seeing as Nuriko is amazingly strong, Miaka lost that battle and, seconds later, was torn from Tamahome's sight, although he could still hear her as she was dragged down the hallway.

_Gods, what's with that guy? He'd never get off with that back home…Maybe I should make peace, give Miaka some help…._

Sighing Tamahome stood up (now fully clothed) and wandered off to Find Nuriko.

"So you uh, wanna help me out huh? Ok, be my P.A." Tamahome nodded trying not to pay too much attention to the fact that Miaka was bound tightly from the shoulders down and lying on the floor.

Tamahome resisted the urge to throw a punch. Shouldn't Nuriko be the one asking for favors not him? He was the Priest of Suzaku after all. Well, either way he'd have to be able to at least get along with that guy so he'd better start practicing now if he ever wanted to refrain from killing him…

"Alright let's see….The hall leading to my room is very dirty. Clean it." Nuriko said, dismissively waving his hand. Tamahome grumbled under his breath.

Tamahome resentfully bent down a grabbed a cloth. _Remind why the hell I'm doing this…?_

Nuriko cast a glance over his shoulder, "Oh and if ya miss a spot, no dinner." This earned a very nasty glare from Tamahome. _Who the hell does this guy think he is!_

Sadly, Tamahome did clean the entire hallway; very well at that. But what he hadn't known was that Nuriko, behind his back, had been dumping dirt and dust all over the floor the second Tamahome had cleaned it. When he was finished Nuriko had chided him and promptly told him 'no dinner' and began laughing. Tamahome didn't find it funny….

Enter Miaka. She strolled in after watching what had happened, well actually she didn't stroll, it was more of a bounce seeing as she was still bound. "Nuriko knock it off! Quick being a jerk--" Miaka was cut off by Nuriko's mock sobs. "Me! You hate me!"

Miaka's face changed from anger to apprehension, "Now wait I never said--" Once again, Nuriko cut her of.

"Then that means you like me! OH MIAKA!" Nuriko grabbed Miaka and glomped her so tightly Tamahome could have sworn he heard a rib break. But by that point the was really paying attention to Miaka's possibly broken bone. He was too angry at their embrace, a painful one, but one nonetheless. He promptly stomped off grumbling something incomprehensible under his breath.

_Damn, Nuriko's such a pain in the ass. What gives him the right to act like that anyway? And what about Miaka….Damnit…He seems to really like her…._

Tamahome was perched on the railing over looking the five foot drop down to the ground below.

Miaka turned at the sound of heavy breathing. Miaka was desperately trying to squirm her way over. Tamahome just stared.

"Um, weren't you unconscious? Cause last time I checked you were…" He stared at the girl who was in a definite state of disarray.

Huff "Nah, I feigned it to fake Nuriko out till she left. Then I made my escape." Huff She was still trying to regain her breath.

Tamahome fought the urge to be nice, he was supposed to be mad at her right! "Yeah well, can't be that bad with a guy like Nuriko chasing after you." He said this more spitefully than intended.

Miaka's face instantly reddened. "What universe are you in! You think I like that? The only reason I'm not killing him right now is because we need him to summon Suzaku. Now, what you should be saying is 'Oh Miaka, I'm just ever so jealous, I need you!'" Miaka laughed lightly at her own little joke, while patting Tamahome on the head much like one would pat their dog.

Miaka pumped her fist in the air in victory as she disentangled herself form the last bits of her bindings. She skipped lightly over to Tamahome and linked her arm through his and began pulling him along with her until the reached a break in the balcony.

Pulling him down the few stairs with her she trotted over to the small fish pond a few feet away and plopped down on the ground. Patting the ground near her, she motioned for Tamahome to do the same.

After a few moments of sitting in comfortable silence Tamahome spoke up. "So, you like Nuriko then?

Miaka shook her head furiously, "No, I guess he's ok…maybe…but he's not my type. Besides I've known him for what, two days?"

"So you have no feelings for him then?" Miaka just turned at looked at the boy.

She suddenly cocked any eyebrow. "Ah, I see. You just jealous! I know, I know. I'm just such a sweet, kick-ass, kinda babe. Buuuuut, food is my first love."

Tamahome was quick to counter, "I'm Not Jealous!" _I just felt bad for Nuriko…it sucks to be turned down…that's it…wasn't jealous whatsoever…right?_

* * *


	5. Pens and Hidden Feelings

Disclaimer: I don't own Fushigi Yugi, or any ot the characters.

**Reviwer Responses:  
**Tiki-Chan: Haha, confusing. Nuriko's the same as from the original story only now Nuriko's a girl dressing as a boy. Yay for jealousy.   
Auron's Fan: Yep! Nuriko's really a girl. Yes, I have to agree it's a little creepy, but funny nonetheless. Don't worry, I like long reviews haha. So here's the update.

Thanks to all the other reviers as well!

**A/N: **I got this one out quickly because final exams are coming up starting tomorrow so I won't have time to update until next Tuesday. Ok so, here's chapter 5! **R&R!**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Pens and Hidden Feelings**

"You're majesty?….You're majesty!"

"Hm? Oh, sorry I wasn't listening." Hotohori turned to face one of his advisors.

"Ahem. Yes, so as I was saying, now that have reached eighteen years it is time for you to considering marriage. After all, we have gone to great lengths to bring beautiful suitors to you, so why must you ignore all the women in the Seraglio?"

Hotohori sighed, "I've had it imagined since I was a child, it just can't be changed…."

They'd had this discussion many times before, the advisors knew his reasons like the backs of their hands. Once it was said they really had no choice but to drop the subject and try again later.

"Yes you majesty." They said somewhat flippantly, slightly annoyed at his reluctance to find a bride.

* * *

"Yeah, so earlier when we were outside I dropped the only game ball we have into the pond. Ya think you could go get it?"

Tamahome sighed, this was getting old very fast. "Yeah, sure." He replied in a false happy voice.

Outside the chilled wind nipped at Tamahome's face. He could see his breath in little puff's condensating in front of his face. And seeing as there was no electricity he couldn't see a thing either.

"Ah, screw this. I'm going back inside." Tamahome said huffily after straining for the fifth time to look into the dark waters.

As he turned to leave something shot from the water, latching onto his ankle. "What the--" _Shit!_ He thought as he was yanked to the floor and pulled quickly into the murky water. He barely had time to take a breath.

* * *

"Hey! I'm home!" _clack_ Yui shut the front door behind her as she entered into her house.

No answer. There rarely was when she first go home. She sighed dejectedly. "Coming home to an empty house after a day like today sucks…." she mumbled to herself, dropping her backpack on the floor in the hallway.

No sooner had her backpack thudded to the floor she was suddenly drenched in salt smelling water. "Ewww! Water? Where's that come from! And WHY is there seaweed all over my uniform?" She cried out, flinging the slimy substance from her clothes.

As she finished throwing the plan from her outfit she felt her throat begin to close up, constricting her breathing. "G-Gods, what is go-ing on?"

As she stumbled into the kitchen she found a note on the table.

_Yui, _

_Tamahome's mother called a little bit ago. She wants to know where Tamahome is. His mother said he ran out earlier and hasn't come back so we were hoping he was with you. Call if you know something._

_-Mom._

Yui stifled a gasp. _Tamahome…he must have gone back to the book!_

_

* * *

_

_Ugh, My leg's caught in the seaweed and it's getting harder to breathe! Gods…what'll I do? Miaka!_

Miaka's eyes shot open. "Tamahome?" _Uh, since when was I sleeping?_ She thought, not remembering going to bed. "Where's Tamahome?"

Miaka jogged down the hallway in search of the boy. "Hahahaha! I mean really! How stupid could ya get? He actually went searched for that! I mean a game ball! Psh, yeah right, like we'd only have one. Ha, he's probably freezing in those waters right now. That'll show him, it will…"

Angrily, Miaka rounded the corner, swiftly grabbing onto Nuriko's robes and forcing him to turn towards her. "Are you saying what I think you are!" She spat.

Tamahome fought harder to free himself from the tangled mass of seaweed. _Damnit! There is no way I'm gonna let myself drown!_

Miaka turned to run out to the pond, "Tamahome!" She started to dart off only to feel herself being held back. "What the-Nuriko! Get off of me! NOW!" Miaka shrieked.

Nuriko's voice hardened. "No. Not so you go running to him!"

"What is wrong with you! Tamahome is trying his best to make peace with you and you keep throwing it back in his face!"

Miaka tried desperately to pull away and even though she was quite strong Nuriko barely had to use effort to keep her in place. "No! He's got you and the emporor doing his every bid! Being the Inner Seraglio for years hasn't even earned me a thing! He comes waltzing in here for what? A few days and everyone's bowing down! He's nothing special, just because he's from another world doesn't make him special if anything it makes him a freak! So I decided to take revenge by stealing you!"

Nuriko's eyes flared at the sound of a quiet voice behind the pair. "That explains it then…You're in love with Hotohori, his majesty?"

Nuriko's face turned from anger to disgust in seconds. "No! What do think I am? Gay? I'm in love with his twin _sister._ They both rule, although no one other than the Inner Seraglio and the castle members know of her. She's the true Suzaku constellation. Honestly, half the time you thought you were talking to Hotohori, you were probably talking to his sister."

"But-if she's the true constellation then why does Hotohori bear the Suzaku mark?" Miaka interjected, astounded at the revelation.

Nuriko half-shrugged, "Identical twins."

Miaka, shook her head and quickly spun to face Tamahome who as of now had water repelling down his soaked body, "Are you ok?"

He ignored the girl and turned to Nuriko, "There wasn't a game ball but I found this old coin. It's kinda neat."

Nuriko stared incredulously at Tamahome. "Are you serious! I was kidding, there was no ball."

Tamahome shrugged nonchalantly, "I figured. I mean why would you only have _one_ ball? It didn't make much sense."

Nuriko's face reddened, and at a loss for words shoved Tamahome hard into the pillar that lay behind him. Tamahome stumbled from the blow but quickly retaliated by giving Nuriko a forceful shove back, "Tag, you're it."

Bouncing back incredibly fast from the altercation, Tamahome looked at Nuriko, "Heh, it makes sense now. You were just jealous of me. As much as I kinda like your discomfort, I don't like Hotohori, or wait, well his sister….so don't worry. I'll even talk to her for yaw. What's his twin's name anyway?"

Nuriko paused after a pensive moment, "Only Hotohori knows. We have to refer to her as Hotohori or else the secret will get out. So you're just going to have to call her Hotohori."

"That's…Awkward." Miaka interjected.

* * *

"So, what about the members of the Inner Seraglio? I mean think of all the men that are probably in love with you." Tamahome had started talking to the feminine Hotohori when she entered his room to bring him a fresh robe, seeing as his only clothes were soaked.

Even though she looked dead on to her twin, 'Hotohori' still carried a feminine air about her, which made it a whole less awkward than Tamahome thought it would be.

She turned, now Tamahome was looking at her profile, "I see. And you? There must be woman that you're in love with."

Tamahome's eyes widened, he sure hadn't seen that coming. "Uh…me? Oh, well I'm not talking about me, actually I wanted to talk to you about someone in particular." He moved from his standing position to sitting on the side of the bed.

At this Hotohori turned and looked Tamahome straight in the eyes, "I already have someone."

Tamahome's heart picked up it's pace at that statement. _What does she mean?_

"Ever since I can recall, Someone I've loved for all existence. I heard the stories when myself and my brother were little. The stories of a boy from another world, of the Priest of Suzaku. I couldn't help but wonder what he would be like, and now, here you are; exactly as I pictured you to be."

By this point Hotohori had placed her hands on the bed at Tamahome's sides, her face dangerously close to his.

_Whoa, hold-it. What about…I mean wait…_Even his brain was tongue tied. And for some reason, each time he blinked, Miaka's face popped into view for the briefest of moments.

"Listen to me, no other man has my interest, and no other man ever will." She had pushed Tamahome down onto the bed, hovering over him. With a quick caress of his face, she pulled away and stood.

She gave a small nod to Tamahome as she went to the door and pulled it open quite quickly. There on the outside stood both Nuriko and Tamahome. _Uh-oh, they must have been listening in! How much did they hear? Or what did they heard for that matter…_

At Hotohori's appearance the pair immediately feigned dancing in a very sad attempt to make it seem like they weren't eavesdropping.

Miaka giggled nervously, "Uh, sorry your Majesty, we just wanted to speak with Tamahome."

Tamahome couldn't help but the see the almost hurt look cross over Miaka's face as she looked between Hotohori and himself.

"Ah yes, well it's uh late and I should be going to my room and so yeah, bye." He turned to dart out of the room but Hotohori caught his arm and said so only he could hear, "I meant what I said."

* * *

Tamahome sat on his bed. _Oh Gods, what'll I do now? I can't just tell the emperor-wait, empress, whatever, that I don't feel the same way. I mean she basically proposed…._

This is what had gone on all night, which would remain the reason as to why Tamahome got no sleep.

He got up and went to find something to do. He couldn't just sit in his restless state all day.

_Damnit, Miaka heard all of that last night…._

His thoughts would have continued if he hadn't spotted Miaka walking down the hallway towards him at that moment.

_Oh shit, what now? What do I do? Or say?_

He was freaking out. As Miaka passed him all he could say was "….." in other words, nothing.

Miaka glanced briefly at him before say a curt, "yo." and continuing on her way.

Tamahome stopped. _Wait-'yo'? What the hell's up with that? She isn't even going to say anything about last night? Or about Hotohori? Or hell even the weather. _

"wait, what are you doing?" He asked quickly to Miaka's back.

"Going to town. I haven't been there since you came, figured it was time to go." She said this curtly, not rude, but no where near the tone Tamahome was used to hearing. "Why don't you look for the remaining constellations? I'm sure Nuriko would help you."

At this, Nuriko stormed out of no where and pined Tamahome to the wall. "What the hell is this 'there nothing between us' shit! Do you think we're that dense?" At that he spun around and ran after Miaka, "Miaka! Hold up, I'm coming with you!" The tone his voice harbored changed from downright malicious to playful in two seconds flat.

Tamahome glared after Miaka's retreating form. _Fine if you be that way, giving me the cold shoulder. She could've at least said _something! _But fine…._

Tamahome took this into his own hands at this point, grabbing a cloak and draping it over him, much like Hotohori had when he had first met him. Or had it been her? Gods that confused the hell out of him.

_Uhhh, I don't like following people, 'specially with a cloth draped over my body. UHH!_ he groaned in frustration as he looked at the pair he was following. _Look at him! Going on about loving Hotohori and now he's all over Miaka! I wanna be friends with him, or least be able to stand him; and I wanna know how Miaka feels, especially after this morning. _

"Haha, Miaka, check out his stupid disguise." Nuriko laughed lightly and gave a jerk of the head in Tamahome's direction.

Miaka sighed, "Just let it go."

Nuriko scowled momentarily but said nothing.

The next second Miaka had jumped up onto a small platform and called for everyone's attention.

Tamahome stopped walking.

"Everyone. I know you have all heard of the Priest of Suzaku's arrival, which means that you know he comes from a different world. Well here, with me I have something I'm sure you'll all be interested in."

With that Miaka fished around in her clothes and whipped out two of Tamahome's pens. "TA-DAH!"

Tamahome blanched, _Miaka's excited about a couple of pens?…Well I guess since they write with quills and all…_

He was pulled from his thoughts as he heard the shouts of a few angry gatherers.

"How do we know they are really from the Priest?"

"Yeah! You could be lying!"

Tamahome grew angrier as more people began top say that Miaka was lying.

"She's not a liar! I have those to her personally!" _Well, actually she took them…._

Only after he yelled at the crown did he realize that he had totally blown his cover.

"Oh wow, the Priest of Suzaku!"

After everyone had taken him to be real, they all plowed forward, trying to grab one of the pens that Miaka had accidentally dropped onto the ground in the frenzy.

Tamahome fought his way out of the crowd, popping out right near Miaka, who grabbed his sleeve and took off down an alleyway, ignoring Nuriko's grunt of "Wait for me." As he got crushed by the mob.

Miaka dropped his sleeve and turned to look at him, "What were you thinking? You completely blew your cover. That could have caused some serious problems."

Tamahome got frustrated, "But…Damnit, am I just annoying then? In your way?"

Miaka looked taken aback, "Wait, I never said that…"

"Then tell me how you feel! You can't just blow me off this morning like that and expect to think everything's a.o.k." Tamahome blurted out.

Miaka opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by a husky voice from farther down the ally.

"Heh, sorry to kill the cute little conversation and all but we'd like to discuss something with ya."

* * *


	6. Secret Emotions

**Disclaimer: **I never have owned Fushigi Yugi and I never will...

**A/N:** Woohoo! Exams are finally done so I'll be able to update easier, except when I'm on vacation of course...Anyway, this chapter's a shorter than the others but I just wanted to get one out and this was a good place to stop...

**Reviewer Response:  
**Silver Pain: Yeah, you're idea helped me, I kinda combined both ideas, and sorry for not giving you credit so I will now.  
Princess Patti: Thanks! I hope it will push through as well, and Tasuki should come in fairly soon, it'll be fun once he's in the story cause I love his character!  
La Salle De Brain & NurikoLuva: Thanks!  
Tiki-Chan: Yay, Thanks! I'm not going to say if he does or not ...you'll find out in this chapter though! Hope the update was soon enough!  
Auron's Fan: Yes, the female Hotohori proposed to Tamahome, and Nuriko (as a guy) likes the female Tamahome as well. The male Tamahome won't be in the story as much because it's kinda confusing. I already know what I'll do with Tamahome and Yui--I thihk it's a pretty good idea too but I won't say anything! And I'll check out your other stories when I get the chance!

_Thanks to Silver Pain for giving me a good idea on the character situation in the past couple chapters! Woohoo!_

**R&R**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Secret Emotions**

"Gods Tamahome…where are you! I've looked all over!" Yui panted as she came to a stop after another failed attempt to find her friend.

"Hey! Yui!" Yui swiveled around to see a boy pushing his way through the crowds towards her.

"Keisuke! Hey! You mother told me about Tamahome, do you have any idea as to where he went?"

Tamahome's older brother shook his head, "None, he just ran out after mom began getting on his case about those exams again."

Yui sighed, she knew that Tamahome put up with a lot when it came to his mother and the upcoming exams. "Alright, well we should keep looking."

Yui thought for a moment, trying to desperately think of a place she hadn't checked yet. Suddenly a picture of the strange girl popped into her mind. "The library!" _Tamahome must have gone back into the book…._

* * *

"What business?" 

The gang moved in closer to Miaka and Tamahome.

"Look, you wanna run around over here doin business then you gotta pay your rent."

Tamahome was slightly on edge seeing as they were surrounded by a group of large thugs, but to his surprise Miaka looked completely unfazed.

Miaka snorted, "You think I'm gonna pay _you_ guys! Don't think so."

Tamahome was surveying the five or so guys that had them cornered when something forcefully grabbed his forearm.

"Hmm, not bad. Bet this one would sell great in the slave trade. Seems strong." Tamahome turned as best he could to look into the eyes of another bandit. A hideously ugly one at that.

"Boss!" The other bandits immediately cried out as they spotted their leader.

Miaka stepped towards the leader, "Let him go." She said simply, in calm yet threatening voice.

The ugly man looked her over, "You would fetch a nice price too, although I'm not sure I'd want to sell a catch like you…" He trailed off looking Miaka up and down, still fiercely clutching Tamahome's arm.

Of course, Tamahome would have been struggling to get out of his grasp or something but the fact that a knife had just been placed dangerously close to his jugular cause him to reconsider.

Miaka glowered at the leader. Tamahome had been too preoccupied with the knife to head what she had said in return to the leader but whatever it had been he sure as hell didn't look happy about it.

"Watch your mouth girl. You se this area around you? Mine. I own all of this and if you slip once more I'll see to it personally that you never work around here again." He finished his statement with a sly grin, revealing his yellowed teeth.

"Get off!" Tamahome said forcefully, trying to shove his way from the man's grasp but as the blade was brought closer he had no choice but to stop.

"He's the Priest of Suzaku boss!" Once of the bandits said excitedly as well as randomly.

"Hmm, well then not bad you guys. In that case, I gotta deal for you girl." He shifted his attention towards Miaka. "I can tell you like business, who doesn't right? As you can tell I'm in the trade business for profit as well. So…Sell me the boy, and I'll be willing to give you a full 30 for it." The ugly leader grinned widely as though he offer was something wonderful.

At this point Nuriko had managed to beat his way from the crowd and had sneaked over to peek around the corner at the commotion. "Ahh, well I'll just stay here. 'Case they need a witness…."

Yeah. Right...

Tamahome was now looking fixedly on Miaka's response. "You even dare to insult me with that offer!" Her hands were clenched into tight fists.

Tamahome inwardly sighed in relief. "That's way too cheap! You'll have to go higher."

Tamahome stopped short, the breath he was inhaling becoming dead air in his throat. _Did she just…._

The leader frowned slightly, "Alright, alright, 35 then?"

Miaka didn't even hesitate, "Nope, not even close."

_Miaka…_Tamahome was at a loss for words. _How can she be doing this and still keep a straight face!_ He couldn't believe she was selling him out like this.

The ugly man sighed in frustration, his rising anger was becoming evident, "40 then!"

"NOPE! Try again!" Miaka said, appearing to enjoy this way too much.

"Damnit! No more of this game!" Tamahome feltthe leadersgrip inadvertently tightened around his arm.

Tamahome was shaking with his own anger at this point as well, "Damnit Miaka…" He mumbled, "God Damn you!" He yelled angrily as he flung his fist up in the air, cracking the leader in the nose causing him to stager backwards, clutching his bloody appendage.

As soon as Tamahome had knocked the leader Miaka quickly raced forward and planted a kick right into his chest, sending the leader crashing backwards. In all the commotion Tamahome noticed that her hair had now fallen from her intricate bun and was hanging down to the lower portion of her back; with a thin blue ribbon keeping it bound into one piece.

"Bitch!" The remaining gang members yelled as she threw another punch.

They all immediately raced forward to attack her.

Miaka felt the quick sting of a blade across her neck as one of the bandits swung at her. Angrily she turned around and delivered a round house kick to his face, sending him sprawling to the ground with a bloody mouth and nose.

Tamahome, as well as Miaka, noticed that the cut did more than just give her an incision on her neck, but it also cut the length of her hair. As her locks fell free from the ribbon her hair no longer reached her lower but now rested just at her shoulders.

Miaka pain no attention to her fallen hair as she continued to soundly thrash the bandits, who apparently weren't that tough to begin with seeing as Miaka was one-handedly beating them.

Once they had all fallen she wiped the thin line of blood that had dripped down her cheek from a small scratch.

"Jerks. You obviously don't realize that certain things can't be priced….C'mon Tamahome, we're going."

To Miaka's surprise Tamahome said something to her and it wasn't what she had expected either, "That was really dumb. How are you going to work around here now? You can't. Why are even doing any of this me?"

Miaka shook her head, "It doesn't really matter."

Tamahome could feel his frustration building, "Well To Me It Does! Damnit, Can't you see how I feel about you!" Once these words left his lips he instantly regretted it.

He watched as Miaka stopped dead in her tracks a few feet ahead of him. His heart felt like it was hammering out of his chest.

Slowly she turned to her head to look at him, "I'm sorry. I can't return your feelings, I'm only looking out for you because it's my job to protect the priest of Suzaku." Miaka turned back around, "C'mon, we should get back the Emporor will be wondering where we went."

Tamahome felt a sickening pulling sensation in his chest, but before he could feel it much longer he felt his strength drain from like a flood.

"Mi-aka." he choked out as he slipped from consciousness and fell to the dirt floor.

At the sound of his body hitting the floor, Miaka turned around, "Tamahome!"

* * *

**A/N (again):**

Alright, so I updated as soon as I could and I'll try to get out one or two more but I leave Sunday for vacation and I'll be gone a little over two weeks so I won't be able to update, but I'll try to put out an extra long chapter when I get back Thanks again to all those who review!


	7. Uncomfortable Silence

_**Reversed Reality**_

**Disclaimer:** Still don't own Fushigi Yugi

**A/N:**The male Hotohori (the Emporor) will be reffered to a Mizu, or the Emporor when he appears in the story. Mizu is being used because it mean 'water' and his constellation is Hydra, which means water.

**Reviewer Response:  
**Silver Pain: Yeah it seems wierd to me too to have Miaka fighting. Thanks for the tip, I was thinking I should do that too I'm trying to update as soon as possible before vacation.  
Auron's Fan: Yes I HAVE to agree with you, that day will be one to remeber. And thanks! Woohoo for 1 month anaversaries. I think once Chichiri and Tasuki and all of them come into the story I'll really be able to change it up or at least it'll be more fun. Shirtless Tamahome can nothing but good.  
Tiki-Chan: I thought it was cute too. Here's the update!

**R&R**

* * *

Miaka watched nervously as Tamahome shifted fretfully on the bed, bead of sweat slowly rolling down his now pallid face.

Miaka, Hotohori, Nuriko and the emporor were all standing around Tamahome's bed.

"Miaka! What happened out there!" Mizu said almost angrily. "It's your duty to protect him."

Miaka looked almost frantic. "I know, you majesty, please I'm sorry! I don't know what happened. He was fine one minute and then the next he collapsed."

Mizu sighed deeply, "Miaka. You must tell me what happened out there. I need every detail, for your answer will affect your future."

_Oh God, whaddle I do! _Miaka thought as her brain raced to decide what to tell the emporor.

Hotohori had been standing by Tamahome's bed as well, looking very worried and of course Miaka couldn't help but notice that she kept gently wiping the sweat from his face.

"_Can't you see how I feel about you!"_ Tamahome's words echoed in Miaka's head. "I told you, we were surrounded by a gang of bandits, but I was able to dispose of them and then we went to leave. She collapsed. That's all that happened."

Mizu sighed, "I fear we can do nothing. There isn't a logical illness I think that her body and her mind have been taking in too much."

Hotohori stepped in, "You mean we just have to sit here!" She sounded horrified by the idea.

The emporor was about to answer but the stir from Tamahome caught everyone's attention.

"Ke-Keisukue….Yui…Mom.."

"That's it. Tamahome wants to go back…to his world…" Miaka said as Tamahome called out the names.

"Alright, into my room immediately." Mizu said turning to leave.

"Right, your Majesty." Miaka said giving him a tiny salute. She turned went to walk quickly out the door but somehow managed to trip over the invisible bump in the carpet sending herself sprawling to the floor.

The emporor and Hotohori just walked around her, and seconds later she got up and slowly walked from the room, eyeing the carpet suspiciously as she went.

Nuriko turned to look one last time at Tamahome before leaving but when she heard him calling out the names of coins and money she rolled her eyes and left.

"Gold coins, silver dollars, 100-yen pieces…."

* * *

"The only solution I can see is putting Miaka back in her own time, for here, she's only getting worse." Mizu said, earning reluctant nods from the others. 

"But your majesty-how do we send her back?" Miaka asked.

"That's what we must figure out."

"Wait-what about the woman who gave us the "Universe of the Four Gods?" Hotohori said with hope in her voice.

"Ah, yes. Tai-Yi-Jun, you're right she would know how to let Tamahome back into his world. Bring the "Universe of the Four Gods" in here." Mizu commanded.

* * *

Tamahome slowly opened his eyes. "Jeez, that's one hell of a headache. Feels like a bad hangover…" he mumbled to himself as he sat up and placed his forehead in his palm in hopes to stop the spinning in his head. 

"_Can't you see how I feel about you!"_ ……. _"Sorry, I'm only protecting you because it's my job." _He remembered the words he had yelled to Miaka only hours ago. At the thought of that he groaned and let himself fall backwards onto the pillows once more.

His headache thumped in protest to his sudden movement. _I can't believe I told her that…It just popped out. Damnit that was so stupid of me! She's just a character in some old book, yet somehow I manages to end up falling for her only to get denied. How messed up is that!_

…_How can I even look at her now?_

There was a tiny knock on his door followed by a soft feminine voice, "Tamahome?"

Tamahome looked up to see Hotohori standing in the doorway of his room. "Hey." he said absentmindedly

"Are you feeling any better? You looked horrible not long ago." She said this with worry.

Tamahome rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry about me."

Hotohori smiled, "I have good news. We've found a way to get you back to your own world."

Tamahome shot up into a sitting position, immediately regretting that choice when his headache flared up. Ignoring the stabbing pain he looked to her, "Seriously!"

Hotohori nodded, "Tai-Yi-Jun will be able to return you so we must travel to her. You and the other constellations will have to reach Daichi-San on your own. It may take quite a while but don't worry, Miaka, Nuriko and myself shall be by your side."

Tamahome nodded, "What about his Majesty?"

Hotohori smiled, "My brother shall stay behind, after all it is his Kingdome to rule and no one will notice a difference since they all think we are one."

Hotohori's smile faded, "The only thing I ask is that when you feel ready, that you come back to us…to me."

Tamahome felt that odd jerk in his chest again at Hotohori's words. Without any warning Hotohori wrapped her arms around him in a soft hug before giving him a kiss on the cheek and leaving.

_Hotohori…I know at least she likes me. Thankfully I can go home now and forget about what an idiot I've been. I probably shouldn't even bother saying goodbye to her. She probably just thinks I'm in the way as it is…_

Miaka quickly turned away from the door way as she watched Hotohori embrace Tamahome.

Solemnly she walked down the corridor, her face blank.

Without warning an entire bookcase came rocketing down the corridor, knocking her down and giving a nice lump on her head as well.

"Quit pouting! It's not very becoming. Why do you feel bad anyway! Tamahome's the one who should be feeling down because you threw what he said to you back in his face." Nuriko chided her as thought she were a child in trouble.

Miaka sighed, "Well, can't say for sure what he's feeling but 'down's not one of them. If he felt that bad he wouldn't be getting cozy with Hotohori right now, so just drop it ok? You're sure as hell not helping."

Nuriko looked taken aback. "Me! Listen, how am I supposed to even get Hotohori to look at me when she's all enamored with Tamahome? If you would just quit sulking and apologize or go tell him how you _really_ feel that maybe it will work out for both of us! So stop acting like dark, brooding guy! Oh and lighten up, this mood isn't like you…"

Miaka threw a sarcastic smile over her shoulder at Nuriko's last remark, "LAY OFF IT! I'm not jealous! I was going to apologize! AND, I'm NOT acting like a guy!" she bellowed back at Nuriko who's hair was now windswept from the force of Miaka's yell.

"Ok then…someone's a bit touchy…"

**A Few Days Later: Operation, Send Tamahome Home**

Tamahome had been fidgety all morning. Sure he could avoid Miaka in the castle because it was huge, but now she was traveling with him and the others to Tai-Yi-Jun.

It was going to be a little difficult to ignore her, or, talk it out. Either way he was screwed.

Eventually he wandered into the front courtyard where the horses were being drawn up in preparation to leave.

Tamahome's eyes instantly locked on Miaka's figure only a few feet ahead of him. Both her and Nuriko were tying the luggage to the horses.

As he was looking at her, she turned, her eyes locking with his for a moment but they both nervously glanced away the next second.

_Damnit, I can't even look at him! How can I spend the whole weekend with him!_ Miaka thought as she desperately tried to keep her attention glued to the straps tied to the horse and not on Tamahome. _He probably hates me now anyway…._

Tamahome mounted his horse and grabbed the reigns, waiting for the others to take the lead. Once again the blanket that was thrown over his body in 'disguise' fell down over his eyes obstructing his vision. With an annoyed sigh he pushed it back.

"Don't worry bout it Tamahome, you can take that off when we get out in the country area where people won't recognize you."

Tamahome gave a small grin before prodding the horse to follow after Hotohori; Nuriko and Miaka on either side of him.

Tamahome chanced a quick glance over at Miaka who seemed to be very interested in the reigns on her horse. _Gods, if this isn't an awkward silence then I don't know what it…._

_Wow, this is really awkward….gotta think of something to say…._Miaka thought, still staring at the strips of leather.

Moments later her face brightened, "hey! Ok, so what did the horse say when it fell over!" She continued on without waiting for an answer; not that she would have gotten one anyway. "Help! I've fallen and I can't giddy up! Hahaha…" Her laugh trailed off as she saw that no one was laughing so she quickly averted her gaze back to the reigns.

After a couple more hours of awkward silence and a few moments of forced conversation it was too dark to travel any longer. "We should stop now and rest here for the night." Hotohori said pulling back on her reigns.

In the span of no more that 15 minutes later everyone was sprawled out on the ground fast asleep; except for Tamahome who had taken to sitting up against a tree, his head throbbing. _It's just getting worse…._ he thought brushing a hand against his forehead.

"Hey!" Nuriko whispered loudly popping out in front of Tamahome from around the tree.

Tamahome only jumped about three feet in the air before throwing Nuriko a glare.

"Alright, being the wonderfully nice person that I am--hey don't give me that look--I'm going to give you a tip. There's a hot spring only a few meters away in the woods where you can relax. It might help your fever."

Tamahome considered for a moment before getting up and walking towards the woods, "Thanks Nuriko."

Nuriko waited until he could no longer see Tamahome before quietly walking over to Miaka.

"Pssst. Miaka!" The girl was fast asleep with her head on one of the cargo bags. "Get up!" She didn't move.

Being the oh so patient person that he is Nuriko gave up and just decided wake Miaka up more forcefully. So he went to nudge her in the side with his foot but instead managed to kick her clear across the clearing.

"Umm, whoops…."

"What the hellwhat that for?" Miaka said angrily storming back over to Nuriko with several large lumps on her head.

"Haha, yeah um….Tamahome says that he wants to talk to you so he'll be waiting at the spring." Nuriko said it quickly to distract Miaka from being any angrier at him.

"Me? Did he really say that?" Miaka asked skeptically.

"Yup." Nuriko said lying through his teeth. "Just don't do what you did last time." He added as she turned to go towards the spring. Miaka threw a glare over her shoulder.

Meanwhile, Tamahome had just found the spring. "Nice…looks I can really relax here."

_This better help my fever…_ Tamahome thought as he began to take off his clothes so he could jump in the hot spring.

But, having his back turned, he didn't see the ripples in the water behind him.

* * *


	8. The Other Side of the Mirror

**_Reversed Reality_**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Fushigi Yugi, but if I did Tamahome would be alllll mine...

**A/N:** Woop! I'm back. Thanks for being patient and I hopeI can still update regularly throughout the summer.Oh, and I understand that I might acidentaly write 'Miaka' instead of 'Tamahome' or that there might be a few spelling errors but just bear with me. And I'm sorry if I accidentally leave out and reviewer responses, I don't think I have but if I do it's not intentional.

**Reviewer Responses:  
**SakuraKino: Thanks! Here's the update, hope it was fast enough.  
Queen Asinoe: Thanks. I'm sure you'll love the real series, and I'm glad you like mine. I understand I sometimes write those mistakes but I'm working on fixing it.  
Chichiri's Wanderer: Thanks!Haha, I can't wait until he's in the story either, It'll be more fun towrite when all the characters in the story.  
Silver Pain:Yay! Yeah I went on vacation but I'm back now (obviously hehe). Here's the update!  
Tki-Chan: Hehe, I know what happens too! Sorry this updadte wasn't as fast!  
Auron's Fan: Woo, sounds like a nice fantasy to me! Not to worry, I love your ridiculously long reviews. I just had to get out those last couple chapters before I left so I updated super fast haha. Woo, Pepsi high, good thing you have enough candy to share. I wish I knew how to share through computors haha. Well, here's the update!  
Lyssah: Thanks for telling me bout that. I'm pretty sure I fixed it, if not then I'll have to go do that. Oh and the Hotohori, Mizu thing...Hotohori's got the estrogen and Mizu's got the testosterone.

**R&R**

* * *

**Chapter Eight: The Other Side of the Mirror**

Yui reached up and placed a hand to her now aching head.

"You ok?" She didn't need to turn to see the speaker of the voice, Tamahome's older brother; Keisuke.

She gave him a nod, "Mmhm. It's ok, I just have a headache."

"Look, you should go home. I know that I'll Tamahome somewhere, Mom and I will make sure we do. Since we can't check the library because it's closed I'm going to search some other places."

Yui's voice was firm, "No. I can't just quit. Tamahome's my best friend." As Yui finished her sentence her headache suddenly vanished without a trace. _What is going on here? First the blood and the water, now the headache…Could I somehow be connected to Tamahome? I need to figure this out…_

_

* * *

_

Tamahome stripped the last article of clothing from his body and carefully stepped into the spring. The warm water immediately soaking through his skin in the most calming and comfortable way possible.

_Hm, I feel better already…_

His thoughts were cut off by the large ripples of water that suddenly began bubbling from under the water as something large began to rise to the surface.

Miaka ambled slowly through the trees contemplating her decision to go to Tamahome. _Well, it's not like I'm going because he wanted me to or anything…I'm going because it's my job…_

At this point all the commotion that Tamahome began causing reached her. Picking up the pace she took off in his direction.

She could hear Tamahome only a short distance away going, "Oh shit! What's that? Get away!"

Miaka burst into the clearing, "Tamahome?" she shouted, her eyes locking on the boy in the water, but to her surprise the expression on the boys face wasn't one of fear it was more…embarrassed?

"Um…?" Was all she said.

Tamahome grinned stupidly, "I thought this log here (he slung his arm around the log) was a huge water snake but apparently I was a bit off."

Miaka couldn't help but smile a little. "Nicely done." she added with a hint of sarcasm lacing her words.

It was also at this point that she noticed his complete lack of clothes and the face that the water only seemed to be just deep enough to cover the essentials.

A blush rising to her face she quickly spun the other way, "Didn't see anything." she stated quickly.

Tamahome just stood in the water, fighting the awkward silence. _Now's my chance. I was tell her sorry putting her on the spot like that…that you really didn't mean what you said…._

Tamahome opened his mouth just as Miaka spun back around to face him, both of them shouting the same thing.

"I'M SORRY!"

Miaka looked down, becoming amazingly interested in an invisible piece of dust. "I didn't mean to be like that. It just caught me off guard, no one's really said that kind of thing to me before. I just didn't really know what to say…but you need to work on getting better and we'll get you home, I promise." Miaka gave a weak smile and then turned and disappeared into the trees.

_Miaka…_

Before Tamahome had any more time to react to Miaka's response Nuriko skipped out of the woods with a sly grin on his face, "Nicely done, but I was sure you'd try and take advantage of her-uh I mean the situation."

Tamahome sent a short glare at Nuriko, "You set this whole thing up?"

Nuriko's widened smile confirmed Tamahome suspicion, "Only cause I knew you'd fall for it."

Much to Nuriko's surprise, now that Tamahome had managed to climb out of the water, he walked over and gave Nuriko a playful shove and said, "Well whatever, thanks. I seriously thought Miaka wouldn't talk to me again."

Immediately after shoving Nuriko, Tamahome's face blanched, "Holy shit! You're a GIRL!"

Nuriko's face blanked, "Um hahaha ha ha….Well, you caught me…"

_Somehow I think this goes beyond just simple cross dressing…._

Tamahome, still keeping his distance and also now covering himself completely, spoke up, "So lemme get this straight…You're in _love _with Hotohori; the woman, and you've _kissed_ Miaka…"

"Love can make you do many things…" Nuriko said lamely.

"Oh lord…What's Miaka going to think…" Tamahome mumbled to himself and Nuriko continued to drone on in the background trying to defend 'her' sexuality.

But little did either of them know that they were being watched.

"Priest of Suzaku. You seek Tai-Yi-Jun but you shall not get there easily…"

* * *

"Thanks for all you help today Yui. I know you're busy with the upcoming exams and everything but thanks for helping anyway. I'm gonna try a couple more places tonight. If anything comes up I'll let you know right away." Yui watched as Keisuke gave a short wave and walked out into the crowd disappearing a few moments later. 

She glanced back over towards the building they had just exited. _Tamahome…I was sure you'd be in the library…where are you?_

* * *

Tamahome heaved a rather large yawn. _Gods I'm tired. This trip is taking a lot outta me. I hope we get to Tai-Yi-Jun's soon cause I wanna go home…_

Tamahome looked down at his plate where his breakfast had just been placed. "Hey! What's the big deal? There's nothing on the plate!"

He looked to Miaka who had her elbows propped up on the table and had her forehead cradled in her hands. "I'm so tired I barely have an appetite."

Tamahome looked astounded, "Barely? _That's_ what you call barely! You ate every single thing on the table!"

Miaka just stayed silent, while Nuriko just stared at her. "Tamahome's the one who needs the food, not you; you're not sick." Nuriko tried to chide Miaka but ended up laughing before he finished the sentence.

After his glaring session at Miaka ended Tamahome noticed Hotohori's absence. "Hey. Where'd Hotohori go off to?" All he got in response was a shrug from Nuriko and a grunt from Miaka that sounded kind of like an 'I don't know' but he wasn't sure.

"Hotohori?" Tamahome called out as he stepped outside. "What are you doing? You find anything interesting?"

"No. I'm just taking in my surroundings. I don't have the time to look at the landscape at home."

Tamahome nodded his head understandingly. "Yeah tell me bout it. At home all I saw was school and cram sessions. They were hard but my mom wanted it."

"I inherited the throne along with my brother when we were just fourteen; our father had passed away. The struggle for power then was horrible. She used whatever means she could to ensure that I was made emperor…But, not too long after she passed on as well and I was practically left alone. Sure I had all the people in the palace surrounding me day and night but they weren't true companions. I was like a bird in a cage, like they always say."

Tamahome paused for a moment before responding. "But that's the past now, you can just pick up like you are now! I think this is good for you, besides Mizu can run the palace just as you can so there's no worry, right?"

Before Tamahome knew what was happening, Hotohori grabbed him and pulled him into her arms in a gentle but firm hug.

"You treat me so well. I wish it could be like this always…the two of us." She said softly.

Before Tamahome could respond a large table that had been flung through the air collided loudly with his head. Turning back he saw Nuriko frantically trying to run in his direction with Miaka struggling to hold him back.

"What's gotten into Nuriko?" Hotohori asked looking back at the flailing boy.

Tamahome ignored Hotohori's question; too involved in Miaka's reaction which to this point wasn't good.

_Miaka…_

Her expression was hard to read but looking at her face gave Tamahome an uncomfortable clench in his chest.

* * *

"Well now, Priest of Suzaku. Shall see what you can withstand? Yes…let's try a little test." The shadowed figure held a mirror; silver embroidered with roses. Second later the mirror began to float on it's own before revolving quickly in the air and then disappearing all together.

* * *

"Tamahome slow down unless you wanna end up traveling alone. Besides you just got better, take it easy." Miaka said to Tamahome who was almost speed walking through the forest. 

Tamahome just waved it off, "I'm fine, don't worry 'bout it."

Being caught up in his quick paced walking, Tamahome didn't notice the upturned root in the pathway and promptly fell over it landing flat on his face.

Miaka being the caring person she is busted out laughing much to her efforts to stay silent.

Tamahome glowered at Miaka who had managed to bring her laughter down to a dull roar. For some reason he suddenly got really angry with her.

After sending one last glare he mumbled a stony, "Whatever," and stormed off into the woods, disappearing into the thick fog.

"Wait! Tamahome!" Miaka called after him but he ignored her.

"Don't you think something's wrong Nuriko?" Hotohori asked referring to that fact that both Tamahome and Miaka were as of then absent.

"Nope. I think we were meant to be." Nuriko said in, what he guessed, was a sexy voice.

Hotohori just raised an eyebrow at him, "That's uh, not what I meant. Look around, all this fog; it's not normal for this time of day."

Nuriko turned a circle, "I think you're right. That, and I think we've been in this clearing before…"

"You Majesty!" Miaka came huffing up, lugging her horse behind her.

"Miaka! Where is Tamahome? Why is he not with you?" Hotohori said immediately.

"I lost track of him in the thick fog your Majesty."

* * *

"I don't know what to think about Miaka. She can be almost mean sometimes. Hotohori on the other hand is always nice to me…" 

Before Tamahome could continue his thoughts a small glint of light caught his attention.

"OH! Yes! A gold coin!" Tamahome immediately snatched it off the ground and gripped it in his hand.

"Hmm I should probably try to find the others if I ever want to get home…where are they?"

_Chink. Chink. Chink._ The sound drifted to Tamahome's ear. "Hey…I know that sound…it's the sound of coins being tossed together! Oh wow, there must be a huge pile of coins somewhere…think of all the money that could be there….Damn, I gotta find it!" Tamahome rushed of in the direction of the sound.

To his great surprise, in a tiny clearing there was a very large, very shiny, pile of gold coins, sitting unattended.

"Wow! Who woulda thought there's be coins here?" He questioned to himself as he walked over to the coins.

As he reached the pile he stepped thorough something almost like a dense sheet of water suspended in the air. "Huh? What the hell?" he said turning around and realizing that he was trapped behind something.

"What the hell is this?" he shouted.

"Tamahome, welcome to the other side of the mirror

* * *


	9. Reflections

**_Reversed Reality_**

**Dsiclaimer: **I don't own Fushigi Yugi...and I highly doubt I ever will

**A/N:** I'm sorry in advance for how confusing this chapter may be. Thereare a lot of rulder breaks in the story because the scence switched back and forth between Tamahome in the mirror and all the others. I added rulers each time it switched hoping it would make it easier although I'm not sure if it did or not...either way hope it's not too confusing.

**Reviewer Response:  
**Queen Asinoe: Ha ha, I hope thise update was fast enough for you. I got it out as soon as I could.  
Auron's Fan: Woohoo I updated again! joins in doing happy jig And who wouldn't want a large pile of money? I would cause I'm broke right now too. Yes, what a nice fantasy...now if only we could get the candy to go with it. Hope this update was fast enough.  
Tiki-Chan: Yes I loved that part too. I have to say that I never even saw that coming. It was quite shocking.  
Lyssah: I couldn't resist. I was switching up all the other characters so I had to re-gender Nuriko as well. So, Saudi Arabia, huh? That's definitely awesome.Yay! But that does suck that they dub them in arabian; what a bummer. I'm glad that my stories relieve you from school!

**R&R**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Reflections**

"You're too greedy for your

"You're too greedy for your own good, you know that? You make me embarrassed of myself."

Tamahome face paled. _What the hell….that's…_me! He thought staring at the copy of himself.

"What in the hell are you?" He asked, jabbing a finger in the direction of his double.

"Really, I figured be a bit brighter than this. I mean, isn't it obvious. I'm you; you're reflection." Tamahome wanted to whip the cocky smirk of the thing's face but he wasn't sure if it would inflict pain upon himself or not seeing as it was technically himself that he would be hitting.

"_Tamahome!"_ The voice was muffled but Tamahome couldn't definitely tell it was Miaka calling for him. "Miaka!" he called back, hoping she could hear him.

Before he could look for a response a force threw him backwards. It was his double, "Get outta the way."

Tamahome watched as his copy gave a sarcastic wave and stepped through the mirror, "Oh, feel free to take the coins, it's not like I'll be missing them…"

Tamahome glared, "Let me out of here."

The copy laughed, "Haha, yeah right…" His double ran a hand through his hair, tousling it up a bit, "Now…I think I'll go for Hotohori, Miaka too…childish. I think I'll just stay out there; with Hotohori. Have fun while you're trapped in here."

"Damnit! Lemme out!" Tamahome slammed his fists against the barrier holding him inside what he guessed was in face a mirror.

As he watched his copy slowly disappear into the forest he could it say one last thing. "No one will be able to hear you or see you. So if you really are the Priest of Suzaku you'll be able to get yourself out. If not…well then; sucks for you."

"Who's there!" Tamahome whirled around at a slight sound.

* * *

"Oh, Tamahome there you are! I've been looking all over." Miaka and the others turned towards him.

"Oh well I got separated from you in the fog and yeah….But I did find this cool mirror thing." Tamahome walked over to Miaka and bent in brining his face in close to hers. "You weren't worried about me were you Miaka?"

Miaka pulled back, "N-No. I wasn't." _What's going on? He's acting strange…_

* * *

"No Miaka, Damnit. That's not me!" Tamahome screamed as he pounded his fist against the barrier again.

* * *

"Oh Tamahome, I'm glad that you are safe." Hotohori walked over to where Miaka and Tamahome were standing.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have made you worry like that." Tamahome said as he pulled Hotohori into a more than friendly hug.

Nuriko, upon seeing this, blanched. "Tamahome why you--"

Tamahome rolled his head back to look at Nuriko, "Oh give it a rest already. I mean you're a man anyway."

Everyone's faces dropped at the sudden revelation.

Miaka walked over to Nuriko her head slightly bent in confusion, "A….w-woman!"

Hotohori looked just as shocked as Miaka had, "A woman? I find that quite hard to believe."

Tamahome just stood there with an arm wrapped around Hotohori's waist giving Nuriko a 'ha ha' look.

Nuriko paused for a moment before balling his fists up and storming off into the woods cursing and pushing down trees.

* * *

"Nuriko! Can't you all tell? That isn't me, not even close!" _T_

_They have to figure it out or I'll be stick in here and everything will fall apart and we won't be able to protect the kingdom…_

* * *

Tamahome gave a fake sounding laugh, "Forget about Nuriko, come over here."

Miaka just sent a glare in Tamahome's direction but he did a very convincing job of someone who didn't care.

Tamahome placed his hands on Hotohori's shoulders, "I've been thinking. I really don't need to go home any more. I've thought about it and really as long as you're around I don't need my home. So let's just go back to the palace. I mean I know you love me, right? And I love you so…"

* * *

Tamahome pounded as hard as he could on the barrier,. The sight of 'himself' leaning in to kiss Hotohori with Miaka right there was tearing him apart. _Gods, what can I do? I need to get out of here…_

"Damnit get me OUT OF HERE!" Tamahome screamed, throwing his fists once more against the barrier.

* * *

"Tamahome?" Yui stopped suddenly and turned back towards the library. _I'm sure that was Tamahome…_

"_Get me OUT OF HERE" _Yui heard his voice almost as if it were an echo inside her own mind.

"Hold on Tamahome….I'm coming." Yui turned and raced back towards the library. _I knew he was there, I just knew it._

Yui scaled the small wall that was build around the library's perimeter in no time. She landed and immediately took off running up the marbled steps to the door, but a bright light suddenly blinded her sight. "Who's there? You can't be here the library's closed."

_Oh no…what do I do now?_

_

* * *

_

Hotohori could feel Tamahome's breath on her lips as their faces drew closer.

Just as Tamahome was about to entirely close the gap Hotohori drew her sword and ripped up in front of her. "Who are you? You can't be Tamahome you are nothing like him."

Tamahome laughed, a cold guttural sound emitting from his throat.

Hotohori kept her sword in front of her, "Prepare yourself Miaka." She said, not bothering to turn around to face the other warrior.

"Isn't it obvious? I _am _Tamahome. His very image."

* * *

Tamahome slumped to the floor as he watched.

_If he's me….then that means that all those feelings…all those actions….I hold those thoughts in me…_

* * *

"Liar!" Miaka yelled as Hotohori sprang forward to attempt an attack.

As soon as Hotohori made a move, Tamahome whipped the mirror from behind his back and held out in front of him; facing the two warriors.

Instantly they cried out and fell to their knees, screaming in pain.

* * *

"MIAKA! HOTOHORI!" Tamahome cried out from behind the barrier as he watched them fall to the ground.

* * *

"All of our strength is being sucked out…." Miaka managed to say as she gripped her sides in pain.

Tamahome stepped forward. "You wonderful Tamahome is on the other side of the mirror. The way I see it; it's you job to give you life if needed for Tamahome so it's not a big loss that I'm taking your energy. I am Tamahome after all." Tamahome's double smiled wickedly.

Tamahome watched from behind the glass as Miaka and Hotohori fell forward to their hands and knees. "STOP!" He cried out but it did nothing.

"See if the almighty Priest of Suzaku can save his friends now…"

* * *

_I have to do something. I have to help them, but how?_

"STOP!" Hew cried out again.

* * *

Miaka looked up, she was now completely lying on the ground and growing weaker with each second. Tamahome watched as she looked upon at the mirror. She seemed to be looking in directly at him. "T-Tamahome…" she said weakly.

The it occurred to him. _Wait, earlier I didn't want to hit him because I thought it might hurt me….So if he's me and I'm him then…I have to get rid of myself. _

Tamahome smashed the lone glass that had been sitting on the wooden table flowing with coins. Picking up the largest glass shard he took it in two hands and gave a quick ghasp of breath as he drove it deep into his chest.


	10. The Tragic Way Out

**_Reversed Reality_**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fushigi Yugi

**A/N:** I updated this one as quick as I could because I have to take another 2 week break for another vacation. I'm going to Ireland to 2 weeks so it will be a while before I can update.

I do understand that in the last chapter I made a mistake with Nuriko's sexuality but I think I fixed it but just in case: Nuriko is a woman, crossdressing as a man. So if there are any future mistake on that I'm sorry ahead of time but Nuriko is a woman. Thanks to Lyssah for finding that mistake.

**Reviewer Responses:  
**Auron's Fan: He he I liked that part too. And here's another quick update. Ciao Mien as well.  
Queen Asinoe: I know what happens too! Good job on buying the volumes, do you like them? And thanks, hope this chapters a good one.  
Tiki-Chan: I think Nuriko is confusing a lot of people in this fic, and I also made a mistake in that chapter but I fixed it. But just in case: Nuriko is a woman, cross dressing as a man.  
Fallen Angel Mitsu: Thank you, and I know the Hotohori and Nuriko thing are confusing but Hotohori's twin won't be in much of the story so you don't have to worry about that. Hope you like that chappie too.  
Lyssah: Yay, I love your long reviews. Yeah, I'm sure you can buy the DVD's that aren't in Arabic and such haha. And yes...I made a mistake, ooops. But I saw your review and I'm pretty sure I fixed it, so thank you for pointing it out. I think it confused a lot of people. xx  
Anime59: Thanks, hope you like this chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 10: The Tragic Way Out**

"Let Me GO!" Yui screamed as the security guard grabbed her wrist in an attempt to hold her back from the closed library.

"Go home kid. The library's not open; come back tomorrow."

Yui glowered at the guard, "My friend still happens to be in there so let me in and get OFF!" As Yui said the last word she emphasized it by wrenching her wrist from the guards grip and giving him a forceful shove which sent him tumbling down the staircase.

Yui winced as she hard the guard land at the bottom, "Oh no, that's gonna get me in trouble…"

She shrugged it off as she dashed over to the doors. As she reached out to try and open one of the large glass doors a sudden pain in her chest stopped her.

As she looked down, Yui's eyes widened in both surprise and pain as she saw the steadily growing blood stain that was seeping through her shirt.

_Oh God! What's going on! _

She thought desperately as another explosion of pain erupted through her body and blood spurted outwards onto the pavement beneath her.

And of course in the time it had taken Yui to reach the glass door as begin leaking blood, the security guard had managed to angrily run up the stairs and reach the girl just in time to see the blood explosion which sent him running back down the stairs yelling "I didn't do it." Which is of course what any mature, responsible adult would have done in that that situation. Not.

"Tama-home?" Yui managed to say while she gripped her chest as blood stained her fingers.

* * *

_This has gotta be it. Now my reflection should disappear. GO AWAY!_

At that exact moment the other Tamahome who had been slowly draining the very life from both Miaka and Hotohori gasped as blood erupted from it's body right in the chest.

Dropping the mirror, Tamahome's double turned to its true form; a beast with large sharp teeth, long clawed hands, slitted eyes and what appeared to be rotting skin.

As Miaka saw the change taking place she jumped into action, making a run for the creature.

"Miaka!" Hotohori cried out as the girl dashed forward.

Miaka dove into a front handspring and attacked, her foot crashing down into the creatures chest sending it off balance and teetering backwards.

Hotohori, following Miaka's lead jumped in as well and slashed the monsters arm, leaving it severed.

A few tense seconds later, the creature fell to the ground with a loud 'thud' and remained motionless; a cloud of dust swirling up around the body from the impact on the ground; that or it could have been from the rock that Nuriko had thrown on the creature crushing it into a pancake.

"I thought I heard something going on down here." He said, dusting his hands off nonchalantly.

"Nuriko!" Hotohori said looking up at the boy who was standing on a raised part of ground standing about fifteen feet in the air.

Hotohori's attention was quickly drawn from Nuriko as Miaka slumped to her knees on the ground, grabbing her upper arm.

"Miaka? What's wrong are you ok?" Hotohori ran over to the girl.

"Yes your majesty I'm fine. You handle a sword better than I expected." A small grin played over Miaka's lips.

"Yes, well thank-you. But not was well as you." Hotohori returned the grin and offered Miaka a hand up. "Can you walk?" Miaka nodded.

"You're Majesty!" Nuriko screamed. "TAMAHOME!"

Miaka raced over to Tamahome's fallen body. He lay on the grass, head to the side, unmoving.

"Tamahome!" Miaka cried as she hoisted his body onto her lap.

"What happened to him?" Hotohori asked although she was perfectly aware that no one really knew.

"Oh my God. Look." Miaka indicated to the large glass shard embedded deeply into Tamahome's chest. "The copy was bleeding from the same spot. Oh my God. He did this….for us. Just to save us."

"Tamahome! C'mon Tamahome you gotta wake up."

* * *

_The voices, they sound so far away. Where is everyone? Better yet, where am I? And what the hell happened?_

Tamahome sat up and looked around. All around him was filled with nothingness.

_Oh…that's right. I stabbed myself. Shit am I going to die! No I can't….I don't want to._

* * *

"Alright, help me get his shirt off, we have to bandage his wound." Nuriko didn't wait for a reply before ripping off Tamahome's shirt and discarding randomly on the ground.

"Wow, he really got himself good. These wounds are really deep. They'll take a while to heal, so he'll be weak for a time." Nuriko said as he finished dressing the wounds and fastened the makeshift bandage so it held tight.

"So he'll be ok then?" Hotohori asked leaning over Nuriko.

"Yeah, he'll be ok. Thankfully he missed his heart but who knows what another inch would have done…."

The others nodded solemnly.

"Oh no! Look!" Hotohori gasped and pointed at Tamahome wound.

The blood had begun to already seep through the bandage.

"If he keeps bleeding like this he won't make it…" Nuriko said, adding the last bit quietly.

"Tamahome!" Miaka cried out, lifting Tamahome's head in her hands. "Tamahome wake up! You can't just leave us."

_Damn, this is all my fault. If I hadn't been so mean to him before he wouldn't have gone off into the fog and this never would have happened….oh God…I'm so sorry Tamahome…._

"He's getting pale! We have to do something, now!" Hotohori demanded. "Oh God. Nuriko! Is there anything, anything at all that we can do?"

"The only thing we could do would be to give her blood…but we can't we are in no position to make that kind of procedure." Nuriko responded sadly.

* * *

_Wow…pretty quite in here. I don't like it._

_I wonder if I'll die. Oh no, I don't want to die! I'm only 15 years old, I can't die…_

Tamahome trailed off as he noticed the hundred yen piece that was dangling nicely in front of him.

_Oh wow! A hundred yen piece! _Tamahome took off towards the coin, grabbing it happily.

Though, his smile faded quickly when his beloved coin turned into a large textbook.

"Tamahome! How many times must I say it? You have to pass this test or risk humiliating you mother. You wouldn't want to do that, would you?"

"….Mom?" Tamahome said looking back at his mother.

"You are so ungrateful. You never listen to me and you'll never make me proud. I hope you never come back home."

"What? Mom! Wait…."

Before Tamahome knew what was happening thousands of voices surrounded him, telling him he was worthless, better off dead….

_Maybe they're right…maybe I should be dead….I mean who's to say I'm not already…I guess I just deserve this…_

Tamahome looked to his left, not to far away was a large, vast field filled with flowers and trees; it looked so peaceful.

_It looks so nice over there. Maybe if I go there I can relax for a while…_

"_Tamahome!" _Tamahome's head shot up. Who was calling him? It sounded like….Yui?

"Tamahome where are you?" Yui called out as she slowly crawled across the floor, a hand still held to her bleeding chest.

"Tamahome!"

"YUI!" Tamahome called out, hoping that she could hear him.

"Tamahome? Tamahome, where are you and what the hell are you doing! I've been worried sick."

"_In the book, Yui. I'm in the book." _Tamahome called out to her.

"You mean….wait you mean the Universe of the Four Gods!" Yui said, the disbelief evident in her voice.

"_Yeah! I'm stuck inside, someone closed it while I was in it and I'm trapped."_

"I was hoping that was where you were. I was running out of places to search for you. But we have to get you out, you're wounded badly, right?"

"_Wait…how did you know that?" _Tamahome asked, surprised.

"Just trust me…I know. Now hold up a second, I'll come get you out." Yui said as she dragged herself over to the room that contained the book.

"_No Yui. I can't come back anymore." _

"What? Why not."

"_I just don't think I can…."_

* * *

Miaka hugged Tamahome closer, a hand resting on the side of his face. "Tamahome!"

* * *

"Hey. What kinda talk is that? You can't give up, you need to come home, we miss you."

"_But…"_

"No. No 'buts' I'll get you out of there I promise so don't you dare give up Tamahome! You can't!" Yui screamed, her voice filled with emotion.

"_Yui…"_

_

* * *

_

Miaka cradled Tamahome's head in her arms, "…please, open your eyes…." she said quietly, a single tear landing on his face as it fell from her eye. "You can't die."


	11. Come Back Home

**_Reversed Reality_**

Disclaimer: I don't own Fushigi Yugi...

A/N: WOO! Well I'm finally back, and I'i sorry it took so long to post the next chapter. From now on it will probably take a little longer to post quizzes because my schedual is so busy now, but thanks for waiting for this one...

**Reviewer Responses**:  
Auron's Fan: He he, yeah lucky Miaka.  
Tiki-Chan:Woop! Yeah I thought so too. And I'm sorry it took so long to update but here it is!  
Queen Asinoe:Ooops, Thanks for pointing that out. Yeah I like my collection as well, and yeah it does get pretty confusing sometimes trying to write it from Tamahome's point of view when I'm so used to it being Miaka's.  
Lyssah: Yay! Yeah, I realised that mistake after I posted it and I'll eventually get around to fixing them. Oh no, it got erased 2 times! that sucks. Yeah I'll check out the script, I'm sure it's good. And when is school not hell? no offense chiriko haha  
Fallen Angel Mistu:Yay, I'm glad you like it. I love movies tooso I'm right there with ya. I'm trying to make it as least confusing as possible but it get hard sometimes haha. But thanks, and I'm glad you like.

**R&R**

* * *

**Chapter 11:Come Back Home**

"Damnit Tamahome, don't give up." Miaka said holding back the rest of her tears.

"He needs blood right? Well if that's what h needs then I'll give him blood." Hotohori said in a determined voice.

Silently Miaka followed Hotohori's reaction, both hardly aware of the others actions. _God, I do whatever it takes to keep you here with us Tamahome, here with me. So if blood is what you need, so be it…_

"_Miaka? Hotohori?….I-I will not give up! I don't wanna die, I won't!_

"Look the blood! He's stopped bleeding!" Nuriko said looking at Tamahome astonished.

Slowly, Tamahome's eyes fluttered open, Miaka and Hotohori looking down upon him, a hand upon their self inflicted wounds.

"Tamahome!" The cried collectively.

_What's going on? Am I still alive?_

Tamahome reached up and poked Miaka in the face, earning a slap across the hand. _That's a yes._

"So I'm not dead after all." He said with a faint grin on his lips.

"You jerk, you scared the hell out of us." Miaka said, a smile on her face despite her almost angry voice.

"It was odd. The place I was in. There was no light but suddenly I found this awesome place and I wanted to stay but I heard all of you calling me so I came back."

_**Thank you.**_

The group stopped suddenly and turned to find the speaker of the voice.

"What! This isn't where we were before. It's totally different where are we?" Nuriko said whirling around in circles as if that would help establish where they now stood.

_**It is clear the bond you all share. You have now arrived in the land of my home.**_

"So this is heaven? Hmm, little different than I expected but…" Miaka trailed off as she looked around the group. Apparently she was the only one who had the thought that this was Heaven.

Hotohori ignored his comrades moment of stupidity, "No this has to be Daichi-San Mountain!"

Slowly a shadowed figure made its way down a long stone staircase, "Welcome Tamahome, Priest of Suzaku. I can now tell you and your warriors the method that will send you home."

As the figure finished the last few words the shadows dissipated and the figured was brought into the light.

"AHHH!" Nuriko let out a startled yelp as Tai-Yi-Jun emerged from the shadows.

"A Witch!" Miaka cried out as next to her Tamahome stood dumbfounded.

Miaka earned a heavy glare from Tai-Yi-Jun for her outburst.

"So you are the real Tai-Yi-Jun?" Tamahome questioned the old woman, taking in her almost frightening appearance. She as dressed in elegant robes a form of headdress or tiara on her head but she looked as far from an elegant woman as possible.

"That is correct. I rule this world." She said matter-of-factly.

"But all things aside, I see that all of you; with the exception of Nuriko, are wounded." She looked to Tamahome, "Especially you." She continued after a short pause. "I was giving you a test to see the bond that had formed between all of you; to se if you cared for each other."

"TESTING!" Tamahome shouted before doubling over in pain, the aggravation was obvious in his raised voice.

Miaka and Hotohori were at his side in a second. "Careful Tamahome, don't aggravate your wounds."

"Now that everything has been explained we will go to my palace. We shall talk further there." With that, the old woman began hovering above the ground and a carpet appeared under Tamahome and the others and lifted them off the ground.

Looking around Tamahome was awed. All around him were tranquil waterfalls and lush green grass, a little further off Tamahome could make out the large rugged form of a mountain.

Beside him, Nuriko sat talking quickly to himself about how they were all perfectly safe and they wouldn't fall of the tiny square of material.

Tamahome couldn't help but smile when the carpet gave a tiny lurch and Nuriko grabbed on for dear life; the expression on his paled face was priceless.

In front of them, Tai-Yi-Jun spoke up. "The only one who ever gets to see this mountain; others only see a simple hill."

* * *

"Yes! Here it is!" Yui felt a wave of relief wash over her as she reached to pull the book from it's spot on the shelf. 

"Where are you Tamahome…" She said quietly to herself.

As Yui opened the book, she began to read. Skimming lightly over the text. "Tamahome…he's the 'young man' they mention in the book."

"Miaka. That's that girls name. The one who helped us."

As Yui skimmed further on she discovered the connection between her and Tamahome. "I feel the pain he does. We are somehow connected to each other….but how?"

* * *

"Alright. First we must heal your wounds. Then we can talk." Tai-Yi-Jun had wasted no time in getting things started once they had reached the palace. 

"LAI LAI!" She bellowed, catching everyone off guard.

Moments later a tiny girl came skipping into the room, followed by a few more identical girls. They too were dressed in fancy robes and wore their hair in two braided buns on each side of their head.

"Treat their wounds." Tai-Yi-Jun's order was simple and the girls quickly went to work.

One of them quickly began pulling on Tamahome's arm. "You, boy. Come this way." She began to lead Tamahome from the room.

Another approached Nuriko. "I fix heal you too." she said excitedly.

"Uh, I'm not wounded." Nuriko said looking at the female oddly.

"No, I heal your perversion."

Without a second thought Nuriko backhanded the girl upside the head.

Back in the other room Tamahome argued with Lai Lai and Tai-Yi-Jun. "I think you should worry about healing Miaka and Hotohori before me. My bleeding's stopped, theirs hasn't.

"Nope! I fix you now." Before Tamahome could even blink Lai Lai was ripping his clothes off.

Tamahome turned around only for his face to be mere inches from Tai-Yi-Jun's face. He winced.

"Look, if you don't let them heal you quickly it will only take longer for you to return home, so I suggest you let them. Don't worry about your friends, we will help them as well."

_I wish she wouldn't sneak up like that…someone's gonna have a heart attack…_ Tamahome thought dryly as he watched the old woman turn away.

"Tai-Yi-Jun. I have to go back, tell me how." Tamahome voice was soft but it also held the air of a demand.

"Look at yourself. There is no way you are in any condition to go home, you have almost no strength now as it is, do you really think you can travel home?" Tai-Yi-Jun's words left no room for an argument.

"If it's blood he needs, give him ours." Tamahome turned to see Miaka and Hotohori standing behind him. Each held a hand to their wound to stem the blood flow.

"No! You can't do that, you don't need to." Tamahome said quickly.

Tai-Yi-Jun gave a small nod. "Yes, that could work, but you would be left with almost no strength."

"Please, do it." Miaka answered without hesitation. "It's not like I have any use for my blood when it's outside my body, or on the ground."

_Miaka…Hotohori…_ Tamahome couldn't believe they were willing to do this for him.

"Alright. If this is what you want." Tai-Yi-Jun said. Moments later the girls were enveloped into spheres hovering slightly off the ground.

Seconds later Tamahome was taken into one as well.

"I am now going to pass your blood through your bubbles into Tamahome's wound; into his body. As a warning, this will be painful but suck it up."

_She's certainly blunt isn't she…._

Tamahome's thoughts were cut short as he looked to Miaka and Hotohori, seeing their pained expressions as blood seeped from their already open wounds.

"Really you don't have to do this!" He cried out, but it was no use, they weren't going to stop.

Tamahome let out a short gasp as the first wave of blood entered his body. _It's hot…_

Moments later he felt the first twinge of pain as the blood was forced back into his veins. _Miaka and Hotohori's blood is now in me…their blood flows with mine…it's like I'm now connected to them._

_

* * *

_

"HERE! Finally, I found it. The living blood of Miaka and Hotohori….mingled…young man…" Yui said out loud as she skimmed the entry. "This is where Tamahome is."

Yui suddenly felt a light warmth on her chest. Looking down she watch as the blood flow slowly ebbed away and the blood stain began to fade. "The blood, it's vanishing, as well as the pain…"

Yui would have been more interested in this revelation had she not heard the police sirens arriving outside the library. _Damn, the police…I gotta get outta here!_

Yui could hear the voices outside the doors. "So you're telling us that a girl began bleeding profusely and then collapsed…here?" The police man indicated to the stairs.

"Yes! Right there, on those steps." The librarian flung a hand behind him to indicate the exact stairs he was talking about. But his voice trailed off when he looked behind him to see nothing on the steps. No body; no blood, nothing.

"Sir, there's nothing here." the officer said.

"There has to be! I saw it with my own eyes just a few minutes ago, I swear it! There was blood, blood everywhere, she was bleeding from a wound in her chest."

The librarian trailed off once more when he saw the more than skeptical looks on the officers faces.

"Something's not adding up. You need to come back with us to the station."

"AH! Wait, I know what I saw!"

The two remaining officers exchanged sideways glances. "You think we should check it out?"

The other looked from the librarian to the building, back to the librarian and then back to the building before looking at his partner, "This guy seems like a nut job but should check it out anyway."

* * *

"There. That should be good." Tai-Yi-Jun said as the bubbles disappeared and Miaka and Hotohori slumped to the ground. 

Tamahome fell to the floor as well and seconds later Lai Lai was rushing around him saying something about clothes. He just nodded as he felt the cloth being slipped onto his body.

As soon as he snapped out of it he ran over to Miaka and Hotohori. "Miaka, Hotohori are you guys alright?" He asked, looking back and forth between the two.

"Yeah, we're fine." Miaka nodded reassuringly although her face looked slightly pale.

"Thank you both so much, you didn't need to do that for me."

Both girls smiled, "We wish you to be well, nothing more."

Tai-Yi-Jun now stepped in, "Now what that's over and done with and Tamahome is feeling better, I can tell you how to reach your home."

"Alright. Listen carefully Tamahome. Since the duration of your stay was much longer than your first one you cannot go home simply by finding and opening. You have to utilize the two things that connect this world and yours. The first being something that is identical both here and there; something that will reach both worlds…."

Tamahome thought hard; and, back in the library Yui thought as well then it hit them, "Our uniforms!" Although Yui's uniform was in deed different from Tamahome's since hers was a girl uniform, the uniform jackets were identical for both boys and girls.

"…It must connect with a person who owns that identical item or with a place where that item can be found. The second thing you need is a strong will and intensely shared feelings."

"TAMAHOME! I'm right here! Come back home!" Yui shouted at the book as though Tamahome could hear her.

"Yui?" _I could have sworn that was Yui's voice just then…_

"If you had found all seven of the warriors this would be much easier. Seeing as the amount of spiritual energy need is enormous and Nuriko is the only one here not injured this may prove to be very difficult.

"We can do it." Tamahome turned to see Miaka, a smirk of confidence on her face.

Hotohori nodded, "Yes we can and we will return you to your home."

Even Nuriko smirked, "Yeah, don't worry bout it. We'll get you back home."

Tamahome watched as Miaka walked over and knelt down in front of him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Yes, we'll send you home, but you gotta promise to come back. Everyone will be waiting for you." _I'll be waiting for you…_Miaka thought to herself.

_Yeah…she's right…I'm going back home…_Tamahome face brightened for only a moments before a sad expression replaced his happy one, _That means that I won't get to see Miaka…_

"Now we shall commence…"

* * *


End file.
